


The Evil within

by Mysticmcknight



Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-06-14
Updated: 2010-06-14
Packaged: 2017-12-09 08:32:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 30,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/772174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mysticmcknight/pseuds/Mysticmcknight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Chakotay suddenly finds himself in a universe where he has to face the results of the darker aspects of his soul.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Evil within

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: The characters belong to Paramount. Again since they are no longer using them I’ve decided to take our boys out of the ‘closet’ and let them play and be happy. Enjoy.   
> Warning: DARK!

It was late and after another long shift that extended twice as long as anyone else’s, Chakotay stumbled from his bathroom toward his bed, ready for sleep and his favorite fantasy, making love to one long lanky blond pilot. The very thought of making Tom Paris squirm under him in passion was already making him hard, and this was after a private session in the shower, boy did he have it bad for Tom. Perhaps…he sighed, he saw himself as an old man chasing a young buck…that just would never due, besides, Tom would never be interested in him like that, not when he could have any young man or woman he wanted. Nope, it would just have to remain a fantasy, he decided as he settled down in bed, the flush gone with the cold bite of reality. 

He didn’t know how long he had been asleep, but he jumped awake, as if old instincts of danger kicked in and looked up to see…himself? 

“Your good, but I’m better,” the shadowed version of himself chuckled, giving Chakotay a shiver down his spine, for the laugh was far from pleasant. “Seems you’re the lucky one to face the lynch mobs, and I…I get another ship to conquer.”

Chakotay was still staring into what he would swear was his face, all accept the eyes, they were not ‘his’ eyes, for they were void of …life… then before he could react to what was happening, for he was still trying to process it all, he felt a cold tip on his neck and heard the hiss of a hypo and darkness converged on him once more. 

**********

Chakotay gave a soft groan, he felt stiff, as he rolled over in his bed. Then he sat up, rubbing his eyes, wondering why his alarm didn’t go off, then thought that he simply must be up before it; sadly it happened from time to time, making him miss out on the extra sleep time. He opened his eyes and they grew wide very fast. This was ‘not’ his bedroom! 

He was sitting in the middle of a large king size bed with black dark satin sheets, and matching curtains that were tied back to the posts of the bed that matched the canopy of the bed. It would be more fitting for an actual king than a First Officer, a king with morbid tastes, that is. Chakotay looked some more and saw the port window, he was on a ship, for the stars outside confirmed that much. He slowly moved the covers and got to his feet, taking note of the soft carpet, also black, “A bit one sided on the color scheme,” he said to himself, to lighten the dreaded feelings he was having. 

He was still in his sleep pants so looked for a robe; it was black satin, like the sheets. “I like black satin, but this is getting a bit much,” he mumbled to himself, as he tied the robe around him. He stopped a second as a thought from last night returned to him…looking up at…himself? Chakotay focused inward and heard a voice that sounded much like his own, stating that he was the lucky one to face the lynch mob? His brain was still hazed and he shook his head, and moved toward the far end of the room hoping to get a better idea of where he was and his situation. 

He entered the bathroom, it too was all black and Chakotay gave a mental gag, but he needed to use the facilities. Once he was done, and seeing he didn’t have a uniform or a com badge handy, he searched the closets and found very lavished outfits…all black. “I wonder if it would be breaking the Prime Directive to introduce color to these…” he stopped realizing he was going to say aliens, but as his mind fully woke up and took in all that he had seen, the bathroom, the layout of the room, it dawned on him…This was Voyager! 

He froze for a moment, then grabbed the least gaudy outfit he could and was a bit startled to find it fit…perfectly, giving him more rise to his fears and the so called dream he had last night. “Obviously it wasn’t a dream,” he said as he turned to see the gaudy room. Another version of himself had abducted him, but why? //Face the lynch mob? Another ship to conquer?// “Oh, no,” he said, as he realized his own ship was in danger. Once dressed, he headed out into the living room and a cold chill ran down his back, but not from temperature or the gaudy appearance of the room, but the sense of evil that clung to this place like a sickness, filled him. Chakotay scanned around the area and saw a triangular archway and knew it was coming from in there. The archway was decorated with gold triangular plates emphasizing its existence and shape. 

Chakotay took a step toward it when movement from his right caught his attention. He turned ready to jump who ever it was and froze…the sight before him was shocking. Chained in the corner, wearing very little, but a gold thong was Tom Paris, who was sporting a great deal of cuts and bruises…the young man had been beaten and badly and some seem to be rather recent. “Spirits, Tom!” Chakotay cried out and moved toward the young man, but seeing him crawl in a ball, fear pouring from his dull blue eyes, broke Chakotay’s heart. He slowed his pace and knelt down next to the injured and very thin young man, “Sprits, Tom, I’m not going to…” he was going to say hurt you, but at his touch, Tom flinched and horror filled his eyes, begging him to go and leave him alone, but not a sound was made from the normally verbal young man. 

It hit Chakotay like a bucket of ice water, “But it was…me…that hurt you wasn't it?” he asked, already having his answer. He sat back on his legs trying to comprehend this, but all he could see was Tom hurt and the chain. He slowly reached out, his heart breaking some more as Tom flinched and he examined the collar around Tom’s neck, it was locked and needed a key. Chakotay got up and looked around, but he didn’t see any keys. “Where the hell would I put the key,” he mused, doing his best to keep his temper at bay, for the last thing Tom needed was seeing the man that hurt him angry. He searched for ten minutes with no avail, “Damn it, where is it!” he growled, then saw his anger had caused Tom to flinch in the corner. 

Slowly he knelt back down to Tom, his own eyes holding back a few tears of regret, even if he knew ‘he’ didn’t do this, a part of him did. “I’m sorry, Tom, but…” he gave a half chuckle, “I doubt you’ll believe this, but I’m not the same Chakotay that did…this to you. I…I’m from another universe, and…” he sighed, he could see Tom didn’t believe him or the other SOB had used the same line, either way, he wouldn’t get Tom’s trust, not that he felt he deserved it. “I can see the other has lied before…” he sighed, “Look, do you know where the key is? I want to remove the collar? Please, Tom?” 

It took what seemed forever, but Tom slowly pointed, and Chakotay looked in the direction, it was the archway. “Inside there?” he said, gesturing the archway. 

Tom nodded. 

“Tom can you tell me, where in there it is?”

Seeing Tom’s eyes grow wide with a touch of anger and fear, made Chakotay wonder what had happened here, but knew he had to take it one step at a time. Especially when Tom shook his head violently no! 

Chakotay stood up and moved to the archway and braced himself, for he felt the sick presence of darkness within, but to free Tom he had to get the key. He moved inward…he would find the key. 

He hadn’t been in there for five minutes when he came bursting back out, finding the nearest receptacle and vomited his guts out. It was horrible…no horrible was an understatement to what atrocities he saw in the room. It was a shrine to evil, and evil acts had been committed in there as the evidence that was sprawled all over the floor and walls and ceiling attested too. “Oh, Spirits preserve us!” he prayed out, once he got his voice back. His body was trembling, his eyes watering and his soul…his very soul was shaking. “Please, oh, please,” he cried softly, “Tell me, that I wasn’t the one that did that,” he pleaded to the spirits. “That I could never be capable of such…” he couldn’t find a word for it, for it went beyond monstrous. 

He knelt there prying for strength and guidance, when he realized he would have to reenter that room, at least twice more. Once to find the key and the second, to destroy this power seat to darkness; for though he was not a full fledged Shaman, he was charged with their ways upon his own doing, as he had embraced their ways over the years. It was the Shaman’s duty to destroy the enemy, that which would destroy the light…this room reeked with the stench of darkness and it had to be not only destroyed, but the souls of those who fell victim to this evil, properly placed to rest. 

His duty clear, he wiped his mouth and stood up, looking over the far corner and saw Tom staring back at him, a puzzled look in his face. Chakotay gave him a reassured smile, “I’ll get the key, I just…wasn’t…prepared for what was in there,” he said truthfully. 

the computer suddenly said. 

Chakotay looked up puzzled, “Why are you telling me?” he asked in a normal response. 

The Computer replied. 

It took Chakotay a moment, then looked at Tom, still staring at him, and gave him a crooked grin, “I guess I’m not assessing things very well, am I?” he chuckled, to cover his nerves. He then turned and once more entered the archway. 

It was twice as long as before, but this time when Chakotay exited, he walked, but he was white as a sheet. He recognized the mauled and butchered faces of most of the dead, especially the one he retrieved the key from…her…mouth. With the last bit of strength he moved to wash off the bit of blood that was there and chanted a prayer over and over again, his shield to the darkness that was trying to seep into his skin from touching anything in there. When he was satisfied that the feeling was gone, he moved over to Tom and knelt and removed the collar. He then took the collar and the chain and tossed it in the recycler, “enough of that,” he growled, a bit of anger present to keep him going. He was also going to toss the key, when Tom’s hand caught him. 

He looked at Tom who flinched and jumped back, fear once again in his eyes, but not to the degree it once was. “I guess you might believe me after all?” Chakotay asked, hoping this was the case. He looked at the key in his hand, “I take it, this will be needed for other things and you didn’t want me to get rid of it?” he asked, thinking that Tom, in all his fear would not have risked being injured otherwise. 

Tom nodded. 

Chakotay pocketed the key and then slowly moved to Tom and helped the reluctant but still pliant young man to the couch. “Computer, initialize EMH in these quarter,” he ordered as he settled Tom on the sofa. 

“What is the nature of the emergency?”

Chakotay heard the voice and turned…and fainted. 

********

“Captain, Captain, can you hear me?” 

Chakotay moaned, then slowly opened his eyes, looking into the face of his best friend Kathryn Janeway, “Oh, Kathy I had the most horrible…” he blinked, when he saw the same black walls, then sat up and saw an injured Tom still in only a gold thong. “Oh, Spirits, it wasn’t a dream,” he softly cried to himself. 

“Captain, are you all right?” Kathryn asked, using the medical tricorder and scanning him. 

“No, I’m not all right,” he snapped as he stood up to place as much distance between him and this…apparition. “I’m stuck in this perpetual nightmare, how the hell can I be all right? I wake to find I’m not on my Voyager anymore, and Tom here has been beaten and chained like an animal, only to discover it was…me…who has done this….” He gestured to Tom, as tears fall down his face. “Then I have to go in there,” he gestures to the archway “ where I see…” he shivers, “Spirits, I just had to place my fingers in your…your mutilated mouth as your head was hung on the wall to get the damn key, and here you are before me, haunting me. Spirits, Kathryn, I didn’t…I swear I would never…” This was too much, he moved to the port view and leaned against the coolness of the fake glass and listened to the humming of the engines…shit, it too was off somehow. 

The EMH scanned the Captain some more then turned to Tom and saw the young man nod he too believed it the case. “Your quantum signature is off, you are not…our Captain,” she said. “There for, you have nothing to be…sorry for,” she added. 

“Oh really,” Chakotay challenged as he turned back to look at the two people he cared most for in the world. “Really? Whether with my own hands or not, it was still ‘me’ that did this…all of it. And…” he turned to the window, a deep sense of knowing filling him, “It is me that is charged with fixing it.”

“Captain…” the EMH started to say but was cut off.

“Damn it, why are you looking like…her?” Chakotay demanded. 

“The other…Chakotay changed my image parameters’, stating he wanted others to remember what happens to those who dare oppose him,” the EMH said honestly. 

“Computer, change EMH image parameters back to default settings,” he ordered. 

the computer said. 

Chakotay looked annoyed, “I don’t know the authorization code,” then turned back to the window. 

There was a moment of silence when he heard Kathryn’s voice…that of the EMH state, “Chakotay Alpha Omega.” 

Chakotay turned, “How did you know that?” 

“Tom informed me?”

Chakotay moved back toward the sofa, “Why didn’t I hear him?”

“Tom wrote it out this on the pad,” the EMH said and showed it to Chakotay. 

On the list were several codes and a notation of those most commonly used, with one in particular with multiple asterisks by it. “Computer, change EMH image parameters back to default settings, Chakotay Alpha Omega.” He looked up to see Kathryn’s image fade and the one he was most familiar with reappear. “Doc, he need’s healing,” he said softly. 

The Doc nodded, as if finally able to do something for the young man. “I would be glad to attend Mr. Paris’ many wounds,” he said as he started by scanning the young man. 

“Doc, why…why doesn’t Tom talk?” he asked, somehow knowing he was going to dread the answer. 

The EMH looked up at Chakotay, wishing he could spear this one the truth, but there was no way around it. “The other had me remove his vocal cords.” He would spare him the snide comment that went along with the order, that the Captain didn’t need Tom to talk for what he planned to use him for. 

Chakotay nodded and leaned on the back of the sofa, when he noticed it…Tom’s hands. They had been broken several times and not healed properly. Without thought he brought up Tom’s hand into his own, “No,” he cried softly, seeing the once perfect hands all gnarled and mangled. Feeling the flinch in Tom’s hand from his touch he let go and saw the mixture of fear and sorrow. The pain and horror was too deep for anyone to suddenly forget much less forgive, regardless if they knew it was not the same person. “I’m sorry,” he said, and turned his back, trying to reign in his emotions, though only more tears fell. //You have to gain control, for your no good if you’re a walking baby here,// he reminded himself. 

“Ah…Captain,” the EMH said, “I may not have the best advice in a situation like this, but I would strongly recommend that you ‘not’ mention that you are not the same person. It would only…hinder any efforts in reestablishing things…that is…if that is what you want?” 

A bit of anger filled Chakotay, “Of course I want that? I sure as hell don’t want this…this…to continue,” he snapped as he faced the EMH. Then he saw it…there was more…much more and Chakotay could see the depth of it in both the EMH’s face as well as Tom’s that what he had discovered here was just the tip of the iceberg. “Heavens, there’s more isn’t there?” 

the computer chimed in. 

“You will be expected to answer those. It is against…your law, for any variations above 2 degrees without approval,” the EMH said flatly, letting Chakotay acknowledge his conclusions himself. 

Chakotay saw Tom get up and even injured could move fast, and retrieve his com badge that was on a gold chain and hand it to him. The thanks was given in silence as Chakotay placed the chain around his neck, “Chakotay to bridge.”

Tuvok’s voice replied. “My apologies, Captain, but with the plasma storm, as indicated in my last report, maintaining this heading will require course corrections about the established parameters,” he said. 

Chakotay could feel the lie woven in there, even though he didn’t know what it was, but at the moment he didn’t need the hassle and could give a blind eye for the moment. “Very well, Mr. Tuvok,” he said. He was about to close when he realized that he still had to play the part, at least for the moment, “But don’t let it happen again, you know the rules,” he said firmly, and then closed the channel, “better than I do, I suspect,” he added. 

‘Okay, I need to asses…things. Doc, take Tom to sick bay, clean him up, heal him as best you can and….keep him safe, okay,” he said, his eyes full of concern. 

“I can do that, Captain,” the EMH said seeing Chakotay was ready to move out, “Ah, what about the others?” 

Chakotay froze in his tracks…then half turned, his face once again pale, “Others?” 

 

*********End of Part One**********

It was too much too soon; that was what the back of his mind was telling him as he walked the halls, trying to ignore the fact that he had body guards, former Marquis that once more wore their leathers, which also wore strange electronic collars, not like the one Tom had. He knew of these collars, for he recalled Voyager running into the Tremorvions in his universe. That race dealt heavily in slave trade and they were masters of manipulation, all via the collars. They could be programmed to not only function under specific parameters, but dole out discipline via electrical charges as well. If desired, they could be programmed to explode if forced removal was attempted or by a command by the slaves owner, knowing this, and from what little Chakotay had seen of his ‘other’ self, he had no doubt, those properties were fully functional. It was the only logical reason why so many would allow his terrorism to continue like this. 

He was feeling numb, the result of being told that there were others being kept prisoner, and only the key…an electronic key that would only work with his biological imprint to function, could set them free. He was not ready to look into anyone else’s eyes at the moment, he had to get his bearings first and see just how much damage there was before running off half cocked and declaring a ‘field day’ as Tom…his Tom would say. //If only he was yours,// his mind countered. //Sheesh, let’s focus,// he chided himself as he stopped at the turbolift and entered inside. He saw the puzzled looks of Ken and Greg, //Seems that paranoia ran deep in my…other half,// he said, taking note of the men beside him. “Gotta keep them guessing,” he quipped, and saw it was more than enough for them, for they were not expecting any answers. He also noted their anger toward him, but it was not outright hate, no he suppose that would be left for those that would oppose him fully, and he knew there would be plenty of those. 

He took a shallow breath trying to focus as he felt the lift move, recalling telling the EMH to take care of them all as best as he could and that he’ll deal with the matter as soon as he could, then he left…hoping to seek a break, but knowing he wouldn’t find one. His eyes then spotted the bizarre symbol painted on the inside of the turbolift; it was a black triangle with a dagger stabbing it down the center. The very thought made him shiver, //you became a monstrous tyrant,// he thought, doing his best to keep in control of his emotions, but the suffocating feeling would not let up as the doors opened. He entered the bridge and felt his heart constrict, for it too had been redecorated in that dreadful black, and saw everyone of the crew wore those nasty collars. He stepped from the lift and scanned it, trying to be as clinical as he could, but the looks of hate that he was expecting were now present, and he couldn’t blame them. He moved forward, glad that Ken and Greg remained at the lift doors, down to the center where Tuvok now stood. 

“Captain,” the Vulcan greeted, in a tone that Chakotay now could detect over the years held distain for him. 

“Report,” he said, seeing the plasma storm they had just entered. 

Tuvok handed him a pad, not even bothering to say anything, but Chakotay would not be bothered by this minor fact. He looked over the report, shields were taking a beating, and it seemed so was poor Rick Betaheart, who was limited in his maneuvering within this mess. If this continued, the ship would be okay, but the shields would be beaten down unnecessarily and it seemed so would Rick. 

Chakotay sat down in the center chair as was expected of him as he read over the other reports, taking note of their course. It was an aggressive course, and it was back to the Alpha Quadrant, but he found no pleasure in that thought. Just then the ship shook violently and the computer announced a course variation this time of six degrees, while a small yelp of pain came from the helm. 

Once the ship settled down, Chakotay could feel all eyes were on him, all except Rick’s and he knew why. He jumped to his feet and moved to the helm and looked at the readings, being a pilot himself, and saw that if Rick was able too, he could handle this minor storm with ease…if he was able. He reached for the collar, and heard poor Rick whimper as other’s gasped, fearing the worst. He found the biopad for his thumb and pressed on it, and then pulled out the key and in one quick motion removed the collar. “I suppose, now, you can get us through that?” he asked, working hard on keeping his tone sounding sarcastic and smug. 

“Ah…yes…yes…sir,” Rick stuttered, thinking for sure he was a dead man. 

Chakotay suddenly got a whiff of Rick’s other reaction to his action, “Mr. Kim, how close are we to the eye of that storm?” he asked, trying to maintain a coolness he didn’t feel. 

“It’s two minutes away, sir,” Harry said, his eyes never looking from his board. 

“Mr. Betaheart, take us to the eye, then have your relief fill in for a moment so you can not only get this mess cleaned up, but yourself as well,” he quipped as he strode up and away from the helm to the ready room. He stopped in front of the office door, closed his eyes knowing he was being carefully watched. “Oh, and Mr. Betaheart, I take it, you will ‘not’ give me any reason to regret my actions here today, right?” 

“N…no, Captain, nnnn…none, sir,” Rick stuttered, confused, yet relieved to have that thing off his neck and to still be alive. 

With a nod he entered the office, once more glad no one followed him. The damn office was also black, //I’m picking a new favorite color,// he quipped to himself, striding over to the nearest seat and plopped himself down in it and tried to breath, but he felt as if something was trying to crush him. He focused inward, and did his best to relax, his eyes closing and suddenly a vision of Voyager flying through space, crawling with thorny vines, all glowing an eerie black and green, flashed before him, and though it was quick, the trunk of that thing centered from his quarters. He snapped his eyes open and knew why he couldn’t focus, he was still at war and he had allowed himself to forget that spiritual wars are not the same as physical ones…they never take a break, preying on the physical weakness of the Shaman. Chakotay jumped to his feet and marched out the other set of doors, taking note of a second pair of guards, but paid them no mind, his destination was clear. 

*********

He entered the transporter room, glad that the guards didn’t follow him, and moved to the console, only to see it was off. “Damn it,” he growled as he leaned on it, seeing it spring to life. 

 

Chakotay, still having the pad with him, looked at it, “Chakotay Alpha Omega.” 

 

“Full of your self, weren’t you,” he hissed, taking note in the terms Alpha as in top male and Omega, like in God as all started and ended with him. He shook his head as he worked the controls and worked to lower the security shield that was around his quarters and the room in question. He manipulated the codes Tom had written down and found the correct one, allowing him to lock onto all the items within it. He transported them but did not allow them to rematerialize, not before scrambling their atoms so all that would appear out in space would be dust, “Sorry, Kathryn, but I don’t think you’ll mind too much,” he said, his dark eyes looking distant, trying to keep a perspective on what was happening around him, as he finalized the transport. 

The moment it was done, he felt himself take a deep breath; as if he now could…it was gone! Oh, he knew it wasn’t completely gone, but the evil his other self had brought here no longer held the same power over him or the others…it was a beginning. He looked down at his hands and saw them trembling, he needed to collect himself before facing the next stage…he needed to meditate and seek help. 

************

It was soothing to be on his sprite plane, and he rejoiced in the simple pleasure it gave him, and soaked in its strength. He felt his guide next to him, her head lying in his lap, adding to his regenerating, that he very much needed. 

“Congratulations, son.” 

Chakotay opened his eyes and warmed at the sight of his father, Kolopack. “Father,” he smiled, and like a young boy, jumped to his feet and hugged the older man tightly. 

Kolopack held his son tightly in return, then released him, “I am proud of you, my son, but do not let this reprieve lull you into a false sense of security. The battle is far from over, my son. Whatever evil that was discovered here, has seen you as its enemy and will continue to try and defeat you, starting with what it will perceive as your weakness…your heart. 

“My heart?” 

Kolopack smiled at his youngest son, for he knew Chakotay would understand, but like always, turned child in the presence of his father, “Think, son, for this is your time…you have embraced the ways of our people and the enemy has seen you as a threat, making you strong, though it will taunt you as weak…think.” 

“My caring…my caring for what happens to these people; it will use it against me.”

“Yes, and so you must not listen to your heart…not at this moment, Little Bear,” the endearment only his father used when he was being very serious in a lesson. “You are a warrior as well as a Shaman, so use your instinct and chose your allies wisely. You will know when to trust your heart…and my Little Bear, when that time comes…trust it all the way.”

“Father?” Chakotay understood the first part, but the second puzzled him. 

“My visit here is limited, but the Sister will be here…listen to her. I am proud of you son,” he said hugging his youngest once more. 

“Please, Father, can you not give me anymore advice before you go?” Chakotay asked, seeing his father fade before his eyes.

“Only that the darkness chose you because of what you possess…the key to its destruction…use it,” Kolopack said as he vanished into wisp of wind and was gone. 

Chakotay gave a small sigh, but the sound of the she wolf growling snapped him back to reality, just in time to see a lone figure lunging at him. He rolled in time to avoid the knife blade and grab the person and wrestle with them until he had them pinned…spirits…it was Joe Carey! 

“Go ahead, kill me, you fucking tyrant…monster!” Joe screamed, his eyes filled with hate and exhaustion, “I don’t fucking care anymore, you…you bastard!” he spat, literally in Chakotay’s face. 

The guards entered, a bit late and scrambled over and gathered Joe into their custody, Greg eyeing Ken, then looking at Chakotay, fear in his eyes as to what the Captain was going to do with Joe. His heart spoke volumes, but his instincts told him something was not right here, and so standing, he walked to the replicator, called forth a hypo and then injected it in Joe’s neck. He then removed the collar, then eyed Ken and Greg firmly…sadly he saw it…they let Joe in here. “Take him to sick bay, then to the brig,” he ordered. When they didn’t move fast enough, he clenched his fist, “NOW!” he barked, and watched them rush out. 

The doors closed and he bent down to pick up the poorly hand crafted knife, and he suppressed any more tears…they would not serve here. He placed it in his belt and walked back to the replicator and produced a large amount of sage and other cleansing herbs and placed them in a large bowl at the entrance way of the archway and smoked them, chanting a prayer over them, using the cleansing of the smoke to center him once more. 

He then gathered his strength once more and headed out the door…first, engineering, and then the…others. 

************

He entered engineering and the stench alone told him how awful things had to be down here, but seeing people chained to their stations, on top of the collars made him queasy. He walked in slowly, noticing that some paid him any mind as others were tightly focused at their stations. In the far corner he spotted Megan Delaney, having a tiny hissy fit with herself, growling at her reflection in the console for her hair would not curl or lay properly, as she ripped a part of her worn uniform and tried to use it to tie back her hair. //Fuck, when was the last time these people were allowed to bathe?// he wondered as he moved farther inward and spotted B’Elanna, not looking too much better, her right side of her face scarred from burns or some sort. 

As he approached he saw the fear in her eyes…her eyes. Another part of his heart broke and he knew why his father told him not to listen to it…yet. He walked up to her, as she stood on the second level over seeing the warp core. He braced himself for the cold reception, “I’ve come to inform you that Joe Carey is in sickbay,” he said. 

Seeing B’Elanna’s eyes shift with surprise, indicated that she too knew of the attack, but was startled at the result. “Why waste the medical supplies?” she retorted in a half growl. 

Chakotay met her gaze, “Why save them if they are not used for those who need them,” he replied, letting his eyes speak for him. When she shifted her gaze after an intense minute, he looked around, “B’El…” he knew he gave something away with that nickname, but his instinct told him…if he got her trust…he had an ally he could trust and talk too, and he needed a friend very badly. “Why are these people…” he gestured around, “Like this?” 

B’Elanna eyes him suspiciously, “I’m only following orders, Captain. You informed me to chain them to their posts, for the crew would be more efficient if they remained at their stations…permanently. That they were not to be released under ‘any’ circumstances. Only a select few had the privilege of moving around your engine room…sir,” she added just in case. 

Chakotay tapped the badge on the gold chain, “Chakotay to Tuvok.”

“Yes, Captain.” 

“How soon until we exit the plasma storm?” 

“We will be exiting the storm in twenty-three minutes and fifteen seconds.”

“Very good. When we are on the other side, Engineering is going to be shutting down the warp drive, so I recommend you find a location for us to park, as it were,” he said, and then closed the channel, knowing he left a very puzzled Vulcan on the bridge. //Good…puzzled and confused it good. It keeps them guessing what I’m up to and hopefully stall any more assassination attempts,// he mused. 

“Begging your pardon, Captain, but the warp engines don’t need…”

“You questioning my orders?” he asked, though his voice was not harsh. 

“No,” she replied, having experienced his wrath before, subconsciously rubbing her scarred cheek. 

“Good. Warp Engine repairs take six to eight hours. You have that long to get these people cleaned up, as well as engineering, so it once more resembles an inhabitable environment. Then you may continue…with a half crew,” he said, turning to leave. 

“Ah, what about the other half?” B’Elanna asked, not sure if she was happy to hear this or not. 

Chakotay stopped in mid turn and looked back at her, “Fed and Bed, Lieutenant, you know the routine,” he smiled slightly. 

Indeed she did. It was the routine they used in the Maquis when crew was limited and shifts long. “Yes, sir, I do,” she replied. “You almost sound…” but she bit her lip, stalling anymore words, not wanting to push her luck. 

Chakotay looked at her more, “Like what?” he asked, his eyes pressuring her to speak. 

B’Elanna knew that look, “Like your old self…sir,” she said, hoping she didn’t blow whatever good fortune that may have befallen them. 

“Really?” 

That single word, and a deep look into the deep brown eyes told her more than any words could have…before her was not the monster that had scarred her and enslaved the crew of this ship…no, she couldn’t stand looking into those hollow eyes. This was Chakotay and though she had every reason to feel anger, hate, like any Klingon warrior would, all she could do was feel rejoice…he was back…he was going to save them. “How…?” was all she said, before a finger pressed on her lips. 

“My enemies are many, friends are few,” Chakotay whispered. “We will speak later, for now…play along,” he said, then with a wink, he backhanded her. 

To anyone watching he hit her hard, as she clung to the railing to keep from falling over. Only a person standing next to them would have noticed he never laid a finger on her. 

“I gave you orders, follow them,” he snapped, then turned and marched out of engineering. 

B’Elanna had bit her own lip so a few drops of blood showed as Vorik rushed to her side, “Are you well?” he asked, his concern showing in his exhausted eyes. 

B’Elanna didn’t answer right away, wondering why Chakotay would want them to appear enemies, but then recalled his words, ‘my enemies are many, friends are few’ he needed her to inform him on what was happening…the question now was… would she. His eyes spoke volumes, but until she had more answers, she was going to play it close to the wire…for friend or no, Voyager had to come first. “I’m fine. Seems that the Capt is feeling generous,” she said, and started filling Vorik in on their orders. 

“Should we tell the others?” Vorik inquired. 

“I’m not sure yet. He didn’t want the bridge crew to know, that’s why he called for the warp engine repair schedule. Let me think on this one a bit.” 

“I take it Joe failed.” 

B’Elanna looked into the young Vulcan’s face, “Yes…and he’s in sickbay. And no, I don’t know why he’s there.” She moved to a chronometer, “We’re exiting the storm in over fifteen minutes, we’d better be prepared. Make a list of those that can last another eight hours, and those that can’t; oh, and break out the disinfectant…the barrel if you don’t mind.” 

****************

Chakotay entered sickbay to see the EMH administering something to a still unconscious Joe Carey. He looked around and saw Greg and Ken were still standing there, “Posts,” he snapped and watched them leave out, allowing him to relax. “How is he…besides the obvious, I mean.” 

“With proper rest and medical care, he’ll be fine,” the Doc said as he walked over and scanned Chakotay. “You seem to be exhausted yourself, you should rest…”

“No rest for the weary, Doc,” Chakotay quoted, and spotted Tom sleeping a few beds down, dressed in a medical jumpsuit. He moved next to his bed and noticed the hands in bandages, “Will he be able to fly again? Talk again? Function again?” he asked, as he subconsciously caressed blond locks from Tom’s forehead, then looking up at the EMH, not seeing the startled blue eyes that snapped up at him. 

“His hands were repairable, as was the vocal cords. However, whether or not he’ll use them in another issue, for like many, the mental scares a far deeper than any regenerator can reach, and I’m sorry to say, they are many. Physically he could be cleared for duty in two days, but…that’s only physically,” he said, looking down seeing Tom was wide awake. 

Chakotay looked down and saw the startled blue eyes looking back up at him, and took notice of his hand still caressing his hair, and withdrew it quickly, “I’m sorry, Tom,” he said softly. Then he pulled himself together, “The Doc says you’d be ready for flight sims in a few days…that is if you want…”

He didn’t even finished the sentence when Tom bolted up right staring at him, his eyes beaming, though hesitant, that this might be real. 

Chakotay couldn’t help a smile, and looked past the enthusiastic young man to the Doc, “I take that as he’s interested. I’ll leave his care in your hands Doc. Now…I guess it’s time to get the others free so you can take care of them too,” he said, his eyes dulling at the thought of who it might be and how badly they were treated. 

“I first recommend Mr. Neelix, for he is in the worst condition…”

“Neelix?”

“Ah, yes, he is locked up in the kitchen…” the EMH stalled in mid sentence, seeing Chakotay didn’t need details. “The second would be Samantha, with the child due in a few months…”

“Child?” Chakotay saw the looks pass between Tom and the EMH, “Tell me,” he said, bracing himself for the worse. 

“Samantha Wilderman is seven and half months pregnant…with your son.” 

Chakotay’s jaw dropped. He tried to reason how that was possible, but there was only one explanation and it made him sick. “Why…why do I have her…chained up?” he found himself asking, though his eyes were not looking anywhere in the room, as he gripped the side of the biobed that Tom was now sitting on. 

“She’d kill the child if allowed to do so,” The EMH said flatly. 

Chakotay snapped his eyes up at the Doc, “Why? I mean, I…I can…well I think I can…” he closed his eyes, for he was not sure if he could understand if a woman could look passed being rapped to bear a child or not. “The child is innocent,” he finally said, then looked up…oh spirits, there was more. “What?” 

“She wants the child dead as revenge for…” the EMH looked at Tom, who’s eyes now shared Chakotay’s sorrow, and nodded, for the Doc to continue. 

“What?” He demeaned. 

“You sold Naomi to the Tremorvions about a month ago, stating that no children but yours would run these halls,” the Doc said, regretting the pain he was bringing this obviously good man before him. 

Chakotay closed his eyes at the realization of what had occurred. That a young five and half year old girl had been tossed into slavery by…by him. Feeling weak he leaned against the bed, but would not let it overwhelm him…he couldn’t afford to give into his broken heart…it was what the enemy wanted. The feeling of a comforting hand on his wrist brought him back as he looked up to see concerned blue eyes staring at him. //Oh how I love your eyes,// he thought, wishing he could reach out and caress…hold the man before him, but the wall between them was thick and not going to be broken anytime soon, so he had to settle for what he was given. 

He stood up and fixed his black shirt, when something nudged at his senses…the Doc was usually very accurate with his words and he said… He looked at the EHM, “you said children not child?” 

The look that was exchanged between Tom and the EMH confirmed that the man before them was no idiot, and the EMH gave a holographic sigh, for this one was really going to hurt. “Yes…I did. Um…in less than a month and a half, you’re going to be the father of six healthy children, three boys; three girls…Captain…Captain! Damn, he’s fainted again; help me get him to the biobed.” 

It only took a few second to have the big man on the biobed. The EMH scanned him, and looked at Tom, “You think he can fix this nightmare?” he asked as he moved to get a hypo that would aid this man not only in coming too, but fight his emotional exhaustion as well as the physical stress being placed upon him. 

Tom nodded yes, as he stood silent vigil over the sleeping man before him, hope daring to reach his eyes.

*********End of Part Two*********

“It’s alright, Mr. Neelix,” The EMH said, as he tried to calm a half panicked Talaxian that was not responding to the sedative that he was given. 

“I have to get back to the kitchen, if….if he doesn’t like the meal…I have to get back to the kitchen,” he said in tears. 

Chakotay stayed in the shadows, watching the EMH and Tom tend to the victims of his wrath and barbarism. Six Fleet women lay unconscious, all showing how very pregnant they were, by his doing. He realized that if he could think of how it could be done, fixing the results so there would be three boys and three girls, his counter part had done so too…he shivered, for he prayed to the spirits that his ship was fairing a lot better than here, but he was in no position to help them, not until he helped the people here. Next to the women, was young Geron Tem, half starved, half beaten, his young mind twisted with some strange herbs, believing that he was preparing himself for the ultimate sacrifice for his beloved Captain….Chakotay couldn’t stop from crying…Tem was like a son to him, to think of how the other was going to use him…//you can’t think…you must stop and function or ‘they’ win. You don’t have the luxury of self pity and that’s what it is…they suffered, not you…fix it!// his mind chided, as he felt tears sting his eyes once more. 

//Fix it!// he said again, this time marching forward to the foot of Neelix’s bed. “Mr. Neelix,” he said in a firm tone. 

Neelix turned a fearful gaze at him and almost whimpered had Chakotay not placed a finger to his own lips gesturing for silence. “Mr. Neelix, your last meal was superb, beyond superb. You have gained my favor, and thus I grant you rest, for even I know that once genius is achieved, one must rest properly before attempting to do so again,” he said firmly, ignoring the glare the EMH was giving him. 

Neelix giggled a nervous laugh, “You liked it?” the then turned to Tom, “He liked it…he really liked it,” he said in hysterics. 

Chakotay was about to regret his move, when he saw that Neelix was no longer fighting the sedative and was slowly fading into sleep, chanting, ‘he liked it.’ “Do what you can for them,” he said, then looked around once more, “Do we have what it takes to build and maintain six birthing tanks?” 

The EMH arched his brow, “Yes, but why…?”

“They were not given an option to start with, but you can give them one now. I strongly feel that they will not want to carry the children to term, thus the tanks. I want them individually powered…” he turned to face the EMH, his face very serious, “I don’t care if they strike at me, but I will not let them harm the children, do I make myself clear?” 

“Very,” the Doc said, understanding this man very much. Tom nodded yes. 

“Good, now, if you excuse me, I have a ship and a crew to salvage,” he said and turned on his heels and exited out. 

*************

“Mr. Tuvok, turn us around,” he said, knowing he didn’t have to give a reason, not under these circumstances. 

“Yes, Captain,” Tuvok said, and then repeated the order to the helm. 

Chakotay noticed Rick, who seemed to have gained some color back in his face, having no collar and a fresh uniform on. He knew Rick was still scared of him and thus wouldn’t push the envelope where other’s like Tuvok and Harry would, and he regretted not being able to free them…yet. “Mr. Kim, full sensors, I want to know when we come in contact with any Tremorvion vessels,” he said, as he moved to his office doors. 

Harry looked hesitantly over his console, stealing a glance at Tuvok, “Sir, there is one just out side of hailing range…”

“Let me know when it is in hailing range and establish contact with it. Pipe it into my office,” he said and then walked inside the office, planning on taking advantage of this time to see what else his counter part had done via the logs. A man as paranoid as his counter part was appearing to be, he would have placed in some kind of securities…

the Computer announced suddenly. 

“What the fuck?” 

Chakotay looked at the list of codes and rattled them off, each one denied, until he got to the one Tom had highlighted, “Chakotay Zeta, Zeta, Omega,” he said. 

 

“Well, that didn’t take long,” he chuckled darkly to himself as he plopped down in the chair behind the large glass desk. “Anything happens to him and boom, goes the ship…nice…real nice.” He turned the chair and caught his reflection, “You were a real fucking bastard,” Chakotay growled, his anger showing. “You not only did all the atrocities that you did, but you brought children into this…and then abandoned them. I swear on all that is holy, that if I get my hands on you, you will learn the meaning of regret,” he vowed, not only to his counter part, but that which was still influencing things around here. Then in one swift action, he grabbed the pad and tossed it at the mirror and shattered it. 

He sat up and started going through the logs and shipment lists, for he knew he would have to buy Naomi back, and he would or fight for her…either way, she was going to be back where she belonged and this nightmare was going to end. 

 

************

“You sent for me, sir?” B’Elanna asked as she stepped into the office of Voyager’s Captain. She saw Chakotay standing by the port view, his arms folded around his chest and looking very exhausted, something she never saw in the other…he took his liberties as frequently as possible, from what she has seen and what others had told her. 

Chakotay turned and gestured for B’Elanna to take a seat by the table, “Care for a drink while we talk?” he asked, moving to get himself some tea. 

“Ah, sure,” she replied, still unsure how to maneuver here. 

Chakotay could see her hesitation and understood it, but was glad that at least she was willing to see the truth and he was grateful for that. “Here, it’s as strong as this thing will get it,” he said, placing a glass of Klingon Blood wine before her as he leaned in and removed the collar and tossed it in the recycler, before taking a seat. 

“Your taking quite the risk that I won’t try and kill you,” she said her tone only half joking. 

“True, but if we’re going to have any trust one has to start somewhere, so I’m choosing to trust that you’ll hear me out first before deciding to take my head…fair enough?” 

She nodded and sipped the wine after smelling it, it smelled fine to her. 

“Look, I’ll be direct with you. I’m not the same Chakotay that did all…” he gestured around him, his eyes showing the pain they held in thinking of all the atrocities that had occurred here, “…this. The EMH and Tom can confirm it, not that you can’t use your own methods I’m sure.” Seeing she only stared at him he continued, “I went to bed in my own universe and thinking it a bad dream, I saw the other…version of myself, standing over me, mumbling about how I was the one going to face the lynch mob and how he would have another ship to conquer. Before I can go back and save my ship from that bastard I have to fix this one…I…I have to, but I can’t do it all by myself…please, B’El…?” 

Like before, it was his eyes that spoke the volumes to her heart. Hearing the plea in his voice along with seeing it in his eyes, told her that she could believe him…this was the Chakotay she remembered and had sworn all those years ago she would follow into death…this was the man she had prayed for to free them. She grasped his wrist, but not painfully, “I will help you, Chakotay, because I believe you. I could never look…that one in the eye, for they were dark and hollow. I believe you and will help.” 

Chakotay felt a wave of love for this woman wash over him, for even after all his counter part had put her through she was still willing to have faith in him, much like Tom…the beautiful young man… //Don’t go there,/’/ his mind chided, and refocused. “Thank you, B’Elanna.”

“May I ask, why all the cloak and dagger stuff? Why not just free them?” 

It was a good question, “I wish it was that simple, B’Elanna. But tell me, how long would I really survive on this ship if I did that, and for that matter how long would Voyager survive? I mean think about it? They have been abused for over a year, their anger and hatred of me far out weighs any rational thought…”

“I see what you mean, but…”

He stalled her with a hand. “I do intend on freeing everyone, but slowly. I have to consider the whole picture, B’Ell. There is retrieving Naomi, and protecting the other children…”

“You’re going back for Naomi?” 

“Of course I am,” Chakotay replied, his tone angry that it was even a question. “I have no intentions of letting that poor child suffer any more than she has. I would never…”

“I’m sorry, Chakotay, I didn’t mean it that way. It’s just that the Tremorvion are not an easy race to deal with, that’s all I meant,” she said, trying to ease the pain she saw, once more confirming her belief that this was the man she had prayed for to return to them. 

Chakotay nodded that it was alright, “I gathered that from the records I’ve been reading, but I’ve also noted they…fear…me…” he said, not too pleased with this enlightenment. “It’s also why I can’t have the crew going off half cocked. If they are going to stand any chance, things have to be done slowly, giving them a chance to adjust. Though soon, I hope to have all the collars gone and turn command over to Tuvok…for I as sure don’t want it, and let’s face it, they won’t let me keep it anyway.” 

“No, I suppose they wouldn’t at that,” she replied, a grim smile on her face. “Perhaps if they knew the truth…”

“Only a few will listen, B’El, and even with that only half will care…anger and hate is just that. I mean, look how we were at the Cardassians. We didn’t care if the Cardassian we attacked was the one who was responsible for anything, he was the enemy…and that is how they will see me…and my children, I’m afraid.”

“You mean, his children,” she corrected, a hitch of disdain in her tone. 

Chakotay sat up straight in his chair, “No, I mean ‘my’ children. He abandoned them…they are innocent and as far as I am concerned…mine. Make no mistake, I ‘will’ protect them,” he said.

She noted the edge of danger in his tone that she recalled from their Maquis days and saw how serious he was and conceded the point, the children would remain safe…she would pass the word and then hope for the best. “What do I tell people about the collar?” 

“That the Captain is trying a new method…called loyalty,” he quipped, a half smug smile on his face, for he knew no one would believe it. “Oh, I don’t know, B’Ell.” He sighed. “Tell them the truth, it’ll wash over just as well as anything else, but it’ll be the truth,” he said and stood up, indicating their chat was over. “Just move slow, B’Elanna, there is…things at work that…well…”he shrugged, not sure how to explain it to her or if he should, that an evil force was at work here, and though most of it was gone, it still had a hold on the crew. 

“Chakotay, I don’t mean to overstay my welcome, but did you see how the other Chakotay got into your universe?” she inquired, her eyes looking serious. 

“No…”

“Do you recall any strange lights or seeing a strange rock…” 

“Lights…yes, there was a strange green…”

“Bastard!” 

Okay, this got his attention, “Mind filling me in here?” he said, taking his seat again. 

“He used the Random Rock,” she growled, “What a fucking coward,” she spat, and then recalled who was sitting in front of her regained her temper. “It was a strange green crystal rock the size of your fist that we found oh…thirteen fourteen months ago on Plasquel…”

“I don’t recall that place, we must have missed it in my universe,” Chakotay said evenly. 

“Well, for a tiny chunk of crystal, it held a lot of energy and we were studying it as for a new source of energy. Anyway, I recall when Chakotay found it, he had tripped over the thing, then picked it up, then dropped it like it had heat…said it bit him,” she laughed, recalling a found memory. “Of course it didn’t do any such thing, but it made for a good laugh,” she added. “It was some time later that we discovered that if we placed the rock in connection with something like a smooth clear surface, like a mirror, it would open a gate…to another universe…but each time it was random…thus it’s name. He must have used it to jump universes….” Her eyes suddenly sad looked at Chakotay, and he felt a bit of dread in them. 

“What?”

“I don’t think we’ll be able to get you home, with out the coordinates or some stable element…I mean, I don’t have half the crew I use too…and without Seven…”

Chakotay placed a gentle hand on hers “I…I kind of thought that might be the case,” he said softly, “But…” he shifted his shoulders and his mood, “We’ll manage, right lieutenant?” 

B’Elanna smiled, “yes, sir…we’ll manage, I promise,” she smiled, assuring that her friendship with ‘this’ Chakotay was solid. 

***********

It was pure fate and a blessing that the Tremorvion ship that they contacted was the very one that they had dealt with previously, and by the way the Captain of that vessel reacted to Chakotay, was intimidated by him. Chakotay played the role, offering a fair trade for the child, stating he had his own plans for her and the Tremorvion Captain didn’t need to know more than that. 

“You can trade for her or I can simply ‘take’ her, your choice,” he said, when the Captain of the Tremorvion vessel seemed unlikely to bargain. It was not a bluff on Chakotay’s part and he could see the Tremorvion Captain knew this as well and had agreed. 

Chakotay now stood in the middle of the transporter room, having given the authorization of the transport use over to Greg, though he stood close enough so he could interfere is Greg got daring. He watched as the items vanished and a small form appear, wrapped in a gray speckled blanket. 

“Captain?” Ken asked, not knowing what to expect. 

Chakotay shut off the transporter and moved slowly to the platform and saw the dull frightened green eyes staring back at him…she was in shock. He slowly moved forward, but she didn’t move. He lifted her up carefully, “Oh, honey, I am so sorry,” he whispered, not knowing his voice echoed in the silence of the room. He then turned, not looking at them, and marched out of the room, heading straight to sickbay, not even noticing Greg or Ken on his heels. 

Chakotay entered sickbay and was met by the EMH, “Who…?” but seeing the red hair and prickling horns he knew who it was and smiled. “I’ll wake her up,” he said as he moved to Samantha’s biobed. 

Chakotay stood there, holding the poor frightened child, knowing it was his doing…his counter parts doing, he tried to remind himself, which was responsible. He then looked to the far room where he saw Tom was working, and wondered why he was in there and not in a flight sim, surely he would want to be back behind the helm, he wondered. 

Samantha’s soft sobs brought him back to the present, then her eyes met his and her hate boiled, “You! You fucking bastard I…”

“Wait,” the EMH said, holding her back from leaping off the biobed, since she most defiantly took the offer of getting that ‘spawn’ out of her. “Wait,” he said more soothingly, and nodded to Chakotay, who he could see had only numbed to the verbal attack. 

Chakotay moved to the side of the biobed and offered the precious bundle over. “She’s in shock,” he said softly, and once Sam snatched her child away from him, only seeing the monster, he backed off, leaving them to heal with the good Doctor’s help. He headed to where Tom was, but Sam’s voice rang out, the anger and pain still present. 

“Don’t think this will buy my forgiveness, you bastard!” she cried out, holding her unmoving child in her arms. 

Chakotay turned slowly and met her tortured eyes, “I’m not asking for your forgiveness. I’m not asking for anything,” he said softly. 

“Then what the fuck do you want from us?” she growled. 

“Heal,” he said, his own eyes shifting from the amount of hate and hurt pouring his way. “Just…heal.” He turned and walked into the far room, not taking note to those who witnessed the exchange and their puzzlement. 

**********

Tom was tending to the six tanks, since none of the women wanted to carry to term as Chakotay had foreseen. He placed them in pairs, boy, girl, boy girl, boy girl, and was making sure they were all doing well. 

“I thought you would be practicing sims or something, I did authorize the holodeck for you yesterday,” Chakotay said, suppressing a yawn, for he had not slept in over 48hrs. During that time he had been making arrangements for gaining the return of Naomi and crawling through the ship’s vents and Jeffery tubes, for he felt that there was something still present preventing the healing he had been praying for. He had found strange clay jars and once made the mistake of opening one…it was full of blood and other oddities…it was the essence of evil. Chakotay had to perform the purification ritual for each one he found and in the last two days he found twelve, the ceremony taking almost an hour each, and deep down he knew there were more, for the feeling was lessoning but far from gone. 

Tom pointed at him and then placed his hands in the universal sign of sleep, then looked back at him, with questioning in his eyes. 

“No, it’s too soon to sleep. The crew is still weary of all the changes and now with the children being so vulnerable…” he stopped seeing Tom shake his head and then moved to get a pad and wrote a message and handed it to him. 

“Why don’t you just tell me?” Chakotay said, hoping that Tom would talk, for the Doc said he could. 

Tom just pushed the pad on him. He took it and read it, *I watch them…you sleep. You no good to anyone like this. Ship need you…children need you.* He looked up at Tom, “I know, but…I can’t sleep in that…that room.” 

Tom nodded that he understood and moved to the far wall and pushed a button and a spare biobed rolled out and gestured a ‘tada’ motion with his hands. He also moved and gathered a blanket and another pillow; he seemed to know that Chakotay liked more than one and this gesture touched him as well as chilled him, for he knew how Tom would have learned about it. 

“Tom, you don’t have to do this…” he started to say, but was cut short by a graceful hand that gently grabbed his arm and led him to the bed. He saw Tom pat the bed, his eyes begging to be trusted…trust…that was the key here. So far he had Tom, the EMH and B’Elanna’s. “Okay,” he said as he hopped up and laid his head down on the soft pillow and felt the blanket being tucked on him. He barely closed his eyes and he was a sleep. 

****************

He was crawling through another Jefferies tube, when he saw the green eerie light up ahead of him. He moved forward and climbed out into the junction area where many of the tubes crossed. There in the center he saw…himself, dressed in black and gold robes standing before him, looking regal, but his face was partially hooded. “You!” Chakotay growled as he exited the tub and moved to face his alter ego. 

“Ah, it’s about time you showed up, I was getting impatient,” the alter ego replied, not even caring about the temper coming his way. 

“What are you taking about?” 

“Why, my dear Chakotay, what I always talk about…giving you what you want most,” his alter self said, standing aside and behind him laying in a peaceful sleep was Tom Paris, looking like the Beauty of tales of old, only needing a kiss to awaken him. “It would be so simple to claim him, take what belongs to you,” the other voice continued. 

Chakotay stared at the sweet beauty, entranced by it as he felt himself kneel down next to Tom, feeling that all he had to do was kiss him and Tom would awake and love him. He felt himself lean forward…

Tom’s eyes snapped open and he growled, more like a wolf…A warning! 

Chakotay reacted, spinning away from the form before him, not knowing that his actions saved him from being stabbed in the back by the alter version of himself, by a green crystal shard, which landed in the illusion of Tom, dispersing it. “Ah, you are well guarded, unlike before,” the other version said, his hate clear. “But it won’t protect you forever…you will crumble before me like you did before and become mine…just like before,” his alternate laughed, the hood falling back, revealing his eyes were solid black, but not in color, but a deep endless dark void of evil. “As you rest, oh great Mystic Warrior, I grain my hold here once more, and soon will have you and…six more…to do my bidding.”

“You will never touch my children! NEVER!” Chakotay vowed and lunged at the enemy…

“NEVER!” Chakotay opened his eyes, feeling the sweat drip down his face, and saw he was still in sickbay, and saw a very frighten and confused and concern Tom Paris rushing to his side. “How…how long?” he asked, fearing that he had slept too long and the evil had gained too much of a hold back on the ship. 

Tom’s eyes narrowed, and gestured ten minutes, and that he needed to rest. 

“No, I can’t rest…it doesn’t rest, neither can I,” he said, not caring if Tom understood or not. He had his duties to this ship, her crew and his children…his children… He moved off the bed and for the first time in two days he took a moment to consider them…look at them. He smiled at seeing how strong they looked and how peaceful and beautiful; he also noted they didn’t have names. “Well, I can rectify that,” he said to himself, and moved to gather the name plates and started writing names as well as a putting a blessing over them as well. 

“Captain…” the EMH said, entering the room, for Tom had summoned him. “You have not slept in two days, ten minutes…”

“Is ten minutes too long,” Chakotay replied, placing the name plates in place, and then moved over to the computer console placing in additional security. “I have to stop it before it’s too late,” he muttered, just before leaving sickbay looking very determined. 

Tom and the EMH looked at each other, “We’ better contact B’Elanna, it look’s like it’s happening again,” the Doc said, and Tom nodded, his eyes looking very sad and pained for the man that just left. 

*****End of Part Three*****

Over the next three days things were havoc. B’Elanna literally chased Chakotay all over the ship, and had she not seen the strangely marked jars for herself and seeing the ceremony Chakotay strongly felt he had to perform for each one, she would have found a way to sedate the man, but seeing them…feeling them, gave her pause not to question the man she had prayed to return to help them. But he was exhausted, for there were jars all over the ship in Jefferies tubes, vents, crew quarters, an average of twenty per a deck…he would be a total wreck before finishing and they both knew it. 

Plus, all the crew saw was a frantic man crawling around the ship once again, and memories of this filled them as did their fear. The EMH tried to sway Chakotay to rest or at least allow more of the crew to go free so they could tend the ship, but Chakotay was focused too hard on his goal, and it was Tom that found the key…the children. The mentioning of the children brought the frantic man back from the edge and gave him a center of calm, which they needed to reason with him. 

The best they got was a compromise; Chakotay would meditate with his children, thus getting some rest, and he would release key members of the crew into B’Elanna’s care. On the third day he turned over Command to her, not caring if it irritated Tuvok one bit, for he trusted her. 

“He looks so thin,” B’Elanna comments to the Doc as she stands wearing a fresh Starfleet uniform, Chakotay’s suggestion, to help rebuild unity once more, looking across the room in the darken glass where she could just see Chakotay in the lotus position, not meditating, but taking to his children…telling them a story. An encouragement from the Doc to redirect Chakotay’s frantic mind to a more reality based activity, he had told her. 

“I agree, but he won’t let me get close to him, and he’s right, for I would sedate him at this point. 

“He was right about a lot of things,” B’Elanna comments with some regret. “I have a good portion of the crew free, thanks to him, and all they seem to focus on is what form of punishment they are going to deal out. I’ve told them that he’s not the same Chakotay and about the quantum signature, but…”

“They don’t care, I know. I’ve had several attempts to access the power units to the birthing tanks…” he shakes his head in disgust. “Thankfully, the Captain…err,” he looks at B’Elanna who was now Captain, “Chakotay foresaw this and placed heavy-duty security around those aspects in the computer. 

“Well, that’s another problem. They feel that because Chakotay hasn’t turned over full command to me that it’s only a ruse, for there are plenty of systems no one can access without his authorization, and of course, I can’t blame him. If they had full access…”

“He and his children wouldn’t stand a chance, and we all know it,” The EMH finished for her. “Perhaps you can at least get him to eat?” 

“Naw, but I did send Tom to the mess hall, if anyone stands a chance…” she sighed. “Well, keep me informed, I’m going to see if I can convert any more people into thinking clearly today, as well as get this ship back in order, though…it’s the people that need an over haul, and sadly, the only one best qualified for the job…” her eyes seeking out Chakotay in the distance, and left her words hanging as she exited. 

The EMH understood her meaning well, and turned back to attend the few patients that still needed his immediate care, not seeing the figure enter at the far end of sickbay. 

*************

“So, Coyote had tricked Raven,” Chakotay said with a warm smile, as he rested his eyes, for he was tired…very tired, but he could not afford to rest…long. His children needed him, but so did the others. 

“Chakotay?” 

Chakotay snapped opened his eyes…the voice was familiar, but he had to see for sure. He stared at the figure across the room from him, and slowly moved off the biobed, for he wasn’t sure if he was seeing true or more illusions. “Tom?” He moved closer, and it was not only the clean uniform that made his mind whirl in thought but the sparkling blue eyes…//Could it be?// “Tom?” he asked again, now only a foot away from the beautiful young man. 

Tom Paris took in the form before him and hearing the soft questioning voice no longer hesitated, he moved forward and embraced the man tightly, “It’s me, Chakotay, it’s really me,” he whispered into his ear as he hugged Chakotay and was hugged in returned. 

“Tom,” Chakotay cried out softly, for he knew it was ‘his’ Tom, they had found him…he was here with him, and all he could do was hold on for dear life as his tired body betrayed him and tears of frustration and exhaustion fell. 

“Shh, baby, I’m here,” Tom soothed, his own heart aching for the man in his arms, “Shh, I’m really here, it’s going to be okay, baby, shhh,” he continued to sooth. 

As much as he loved the endearment, he knew he and Tom were not in any relationship, so leaned back, fear filling him that he had fallen for some trick, “Baby?” he asked, the rest of the question showing in his eyes. 

Tom looked at the man before him and understood, “I’ll explain later, but believe me, it ‘is’ me,” he said lovingly, and caressed the face before him, letting his own eyes express his heart. “I…I’ve missed you so much,” he said, his own voice cracking a little, still controlling his own emotions. “Please, love, if you won’t trust my words, then trust your heart,” he whispered and leaned in and kissed the man he had loved for so long, never daring to believe this man could want him much less love him, but he knew better now. 

//When the time comes to trust your heart…trust it all the way,// his Father had said, and his heart was now singing, this was ‘his’ Tom! He held Tom tighter and kissed him back with all he had to offer. The kiss not only electrified him, through and through, but it revitalized his weakening soul…its other half just arriving, and he felt the union, in the pure loving kiss that they shared. “I love you,” he whispered in a tired voice as the kiss ended, not fearing Tom’s reaction for he had felt it in his being…Tom Paris loved him too. 

“And I you, my love,” Tom smiled lovingly. “Are you ready to go home?” 

“Home?” Chakotay asked, his brain clearing so he could once again focus, “I…I can’t go, not yet. There is too much that still needs to be done here and of course I can’t leave my children,” he said, gesturing around him. “Even if their mothers may not have wanted to carry them to term, I can’t just take them without their permission…it’s a long story…Tom you won’t believe the horrors…” Chakotay started to say, but was calmed by a graceful finger on his lips. 

“Oh, I think I can,” he soothed easily, seeing the exhaustion in his love’s eyes and his determination. “Okay, we won’t leave until you’re ready, but you need to rest, love, you’re exhausted.” 

“I can’t…I…”

“Tay,” Tom said, maneuvering Chakotay to the biobed, “Trust me, please. You can’t fight like this. What ever it is you’re fighting, you can’t fight it or protect anyone if you’re weak…rest, I’ll be here, I promise. I won’t leave you or let anything happen to you…ever again,” Tom said in a vow, as he takes Chakotay’s hand, and helps him on the bed and makes him lay down. 

Chakotay puts up a minor fuss, but Tom soon has him lying down and in minutes he is asleep. Tom pulls up a chair, but looks around the room and sees the birthing tanks and smiles. He moves slowly across the room to the far side and looks in and sees the baby boy, sucking his thumb and smiles. He leans up and sees the name plate, Tom grins in approval and moves across to the little girl, and sees the name plate, Tom looks at the little one and sees the playful smile as she shifts in her tank. He looks around and finds the marker, “You my dear sweet one, are a Kathy, if I ever saw one,” he said and changes the plate, no hesitation on his part in doing so. 

He then moves to the next one and his eyes water, his heart is touched, for this young boy is named he leans down, and gently places a hand on the glass, his eyes taking in the tiny form, and the realization of how much he is loved. He then moves to the next one and gives a soft chuckle, “Boy, you weren’t kidding when you said he loved me,” he said to himself as he bends down to see the little girl, kicking around her tank. “Don’t worry, honey, I’ll come up with a great nickname for you,” he whispers. Then he moves to the next two and looks in; unlike the first four, whose skin is much fairer than their Father, these two are the spitting image of their Father, right down to the dimples in their tiny smiles. Tom looks at the name plates, “Sorry, love, but these just won’t do,” he said and fixed them to read, and . Feeling pleased with things, Tom takes the chair next to his love and takes his hand, and caressing the back of it to his face, “Stars, how I thought I lost you,” he said softly as he recalls how he came to be here…

***********  
“Good morning, Commander,” 

“Paris.” 

Tom looks sideways at the Commander as they stood together in the lift, and wonders what he had done to regain the last name treatment again. It had been almost a year since Chakotay had called him that in private. “Is something wrong, Chakotay?” he asked, for they were not technically on duty yet. 

Chakotay turned to look at him and though he smiled, his eyes were dark and foreboding, and Tom could not suppress the shiver it gave him to look at them. “Why far from it, everything’s….perfect….Lieutenant.” 

Thankfully the turbolift doors opened, for Tom suddenly wanted a lot of space between him and the Commander, and that was far from the way he normally felt. He normally couldn’t get enough of being around the Commander, even volunteering extra duty if he knew Chakotay would be doing it too. So, this reaction alone told him something was not right, but he chose to keep it to himself and see if anyone else took notice; sadly they didn’t. 

After two days of watching from a far, the man that now gave him the creeps, Tom had had enough. He went to Janeway, but she only but it down to tension and told Tom to get some rest, and she would see about shore leave. Of course, Tom was not too happy with this, so decided if the Captain wouldn’t help, he’d go to the source of his problem, being Chakotay himself. He didn’t expect when he rounded the corner to see Chakotay, dressed in black sweats, no com badge, enter an off limit crawl duct. Instead of notifying Tuvok, which he should have done, he decided to follow. It wasn’t difficult to follow the crawl marks in the dust, for these shafts were hardly used; what made it challenging was being quiet so Chakotay didn’t know he was being followed. 

Tom was surprised to find himself exiting the shaft in the main room that housed the computer core…which was very much so off limits. He was about to call Tuvok then when he heard Chakotay talking, and went to investigate it. 

Tom saw that Chakotay easily had the secure panel to the first control center off, and was pulling wires loose, though not breaking connections, as if he knew exactly what he was doing. 

“Maybe I’ll keep the little bitch this time,” he snickered “Though you must admit, Janeway’s head on a pig poll was very effective,” he chuckled as he continued his work. He looked up, as in thought, “I’ll have to get the Tremorvion’s to not only program the collars, which were very effective last time too, but I think I’ll take up their offer to program Paris…I mean, wouldn’t you love to hear him beg for it…me too. Of course, this time I’ll have that Borg thing to trade besides that little bitch that runs around like a damn vole,” he growled, suddenly not pleased at the thought. He was about to make his first cut in the wires with a laser knife…

“Chakotay, what the hell is going on?” Tom asked, stunned by what he was seeing and hearing. 

Chakotay turned to see Tom, his eyes now all black and Tom felt his blood curdle and his body freeze with fear. 

“Seems we’ll have to make an amends in the agenda,” Chakotay smiled darkly, turning the hand laser toward Tom. “Oh well, I’ll just have to find another fuck toy,” he said and lunged. 

Tom’s self preservation kicked in, his time in Auckland aiding him in this manner, and he dodged the laser knife and rolled in time to see Chakotay was already upon him. He kicked as hard as he could with both his legs and Chakotay went sailing back…into the open panel…the laser knife making contact and frying not only the circuitry, but the body as well…

************

“It was an accident, Tom,” Janeway said for the twentieth time, trying to calm down her chief pilot who was in near hysterics overt killing Commander Chakotay. “He shouldn’t have been there in the first place. If anything, I should have listened to you, I was the one who dismissed it…”

“I killed him,” Tom cried, not even bothering to hold back his tears. He sat in the Doctor’s office, crawled up in a ball, for he could not bear knowing he was the one that killed the man he loved and had loved for so long…that it was him… He closed his eyes and cried harder. 

“Please, Tom…” she tried again, but knew that the Doc would have to sedate him, but he was busy with the emergency autopsy required in cases like this. She stood as the EMH entered the room with Tuvok with him. “Well?” she asked, sure in her heart that it ‘was’ an accident. 

“It was an accident, and I have what may be considered…good news,” the EMH said.

“Good news…how the fuck can you have good news, I just killed Chakotay,” Tom snapped, his face a mess with tears. 

“Lieutenant!” 

“Well, first off it was an accident, and second, though you may have contributed to the accidental death of a Commander Chakotay, you did not…”

“A?” both Janeway and Tom asked in unison. 

“Yes, A, for during the autopsy I was able to determine, that he is not ‘our’ Commander Chakotay, for his quantum signature is off five point seven degrees, thus…”

Tom sprang to his feet, “If he’s not ours, then where the hell is ours?” he demanded. 

“Lieutenant!” Janeway snapped, and seeing Tom control himself, turned to face the EMH, “Well, where the hell is ‘our’ Commander Chakotay?” she demanded. 

That’s how the investigating began… It lead to the discovery of the green crystal and via the ‘braggart’s log detailing his activities, for ‘historic’ value he had quoted, so they were able to piece together a few things and had a clue as to how the crystal worked. It took days before Seven and B’Elanna and Tom were able to create a device that would allow a controlled portal to be opened to the correct Au matching the quantum signature of the fake Commander. 

When they achieved it, Tom had volunteered to go, and Janeway almost denied him, but saw how important it was for the young man to retrieve the living Chakotay. She was no fool, she saw the love budding between the two men for years, but also saw the many barriers that kept them apart and sadly understood them enough to let things be; so when blue eyes begged her to go, she said yes. 

Tom entered the portal, having all he would need to keep in contact with Voyager, since Voyager could cross too if need be, but it would take a great deal of power, but the option was there, should it become necessary. He moved down the dark halls, staying in the shadows, sensing the tension. It was shortly after traveling down farther that he spotted his double heading to the mess hall, and reacting more than anything else, grabbed him into a side room. 

“Sorry, but I get the feeling that things are not all lace and flowers here,” Tom smiled, trying to put his alter self at ease. “I’m from another Au, as I’m sure you can guess, and I’m trying to find…” he stopped seeing his alter self clap with joy and then go retrieve a pad. Tom stood puzzled as he watched his alter self start writing franticly, and then was given the pad. 

Tom read that ‘his’ Chakotay was here and in need of help. He also read what he could guess was a very edited version of what had happened with the psycho Chakotay, as Tom had dubbed him, and what ‘his’ Chakotay had been tossed into. Of course the question on what happened to the other was there. “He’s dead,” Tom said, no longer feeling as guilty after reading some of the horrors that…thing had done, and knowing he put ‘his’ Chakotay in the hot seat for it. “How is he? I mean, I know Chakotay, he’ll take all this personally…?” he didn’t need to finish the question, he could read his alter self enough to know it was bad, and from the list of activates, why this Tom didn’t speak. 

The Tom of this world then took the pad once again, and wrote a new message, and then handed it back to him. It read: Do you love him? For he love’s you and needs us…you, but I, I can not love him the way I use too, not the way he needs. If you love him, go to him, if not; send another, for it would be too much for him right now. He is in a very fragile state and could not bear rejection. 

Tom read it, and looked at his other self, “yes…I love him very much. I just didn’t know he…that he loved me,” he said, feeling his own emotions bubbling to the surface. 

The other Tom took the pad and wrote some more, then handed it back: Oh, he loves you all right. Just go to him and open your heart and your eyes, the proof is all around…you’ll see. Go, he’s in sickbay…now!

Tom didn’t hesitate, he thanked his alter self and quietly and quickly headed to sickbay where he was now, and surely the other Tom was right. The look in Chakotay’s face and his eyes told him everything, then seeing that Chakotay named two of his children after him…yes, he was very much indeed loved. 

“What are you doing here…get out, now!” 

Tom lifted his head at the sound of the EMH’s voice and slowly rose from his chair to see through the dark glass that the Doc was standing between the doorway to this room and Chell and Harry, both armed with phasers. 

“Move, Doc. We don’t want any trouble, but that…thing is going to pay,” Chell growled. 

Tom saw his alternate enter and side up with the EMH, who took advantage of the moment to contact someone. 

“Move Tom, I don’t want to hurt you, but I will,” Harry said, his anger building. “How can you stand there when you know what he did to the Captain…to…to…Seven,” he said, trying to keep from tears. “Fuck, even to you!”

“What the hell is going on here,” B’Elanna snaps as soon as she appeared, having beamed in, a phaser in her hand. 

“Justice,” Both Harry and Chell growl. “He said he’s turned over command, yet we can’t access over half the ship’s systems and instead of being in the brig, where he belongs…” 

“Air lock is more like it,” Chell interrupts Harry. 

“He’s in sickbay and allowed to move freely while others are still hostage to those damn collars!” 

“Which we need him to open,” the Doc reminded them. 

“Oh, I don’t have a problem cutting off a hand and a thumb for the job,” Chell replied darkly. 

“Damn it! I’ve told you, he’s not the same one, he’s from…”

“Yeah, tell us another one,” Harry snaps, attempting to move forward, but B’Elanna steps in-between them.

“We have two phasers to your one, now move aside,” Harry replied, his voice growing cold with determination. 

“Oh, I’d recount if I were you,” Tom said as he moves through the door way, his phaser in hand, standing next to his other self, who folds his arms and gives Harry a ‘I-told-you-so’ nod. 

“Who the hell…” 

“Lieutenant Thomas Eugene Paris, from the USS Voyager, and I’m here to collect ‘my’ Commander Chakotay…alive, if you don’t mind,” he said, this tone light, but his eyes serious. 

“If that’s your…where’s…” 

“Dead,” Tom said flatly, looking this Harry square in the eye, “I killed him. He was attempting to sabotage our computer when he I caught him in the attempt. He’s dead…very dead,” all guilt now gone seeing the hurt in this version of his best friend’s eyes. “What ever that thing was, it was ‘not’ Chakotay, and we all know that. It was some alien that took him over,” he said for it was the only rational thing his mind would accept, for there was no way he could ever accept ‘his’ Chakotay doing a fraction of the things he had learned about. 

“There, now are you satisfied,” B’Elanna growled. “Pass the word, and let it be known, that any more foolishness like this won’t be tolerated; short handed or not, I’ll start filling the brig, now, leave the phasers and get out!” 

Tom saw the stand off, and sadly knew B’Elanna didn’t have the backing she needed here, and tapped his com badge, “Paris to Janeway” 

“Here Tom, did you find him?” 

Tom saw that the sound of Janeway’s voice brought back many memories, good and bad, but continued. “Yes, but we have complications…requesting you bring Voyager over, or this ships not going to make it.”

“I don’t understand, Tom?” 

“Captain, the best I can say for now is…this ship needs a Captain…it needs you. I’ll explain the rest when you get here. As for Chakotay…” he turned to see his love twitching violently on the bed, //Shit, something’s wrong!// “Gotta go, get here!” he snapped and closed the channel and dashed inside the room. 

****End of Part Four********

Tom ran in the room and grabbed his love, trying to shake him awake, “Chakotay!” he called out, hoping it was just a bad dream. 

“His brain chemistry is off the scale, and his body temperature is rising,” the EMH replied after scanning him, having followed Tom in the room. 

B’Elanna seeing the two men, startled by the crisis, acted, and palmed both in the face, knocking them out. “Beam them…” she turned to see the other Tom was in the other room also, but he was in the far corner, looking very fearful. “Computer, lock on the two bio-signatures before me and beam to the brig. Lock out voice authorization, B’Elanna Chakotay Beta Seven,” she said and after watching them vanish started heading in the room…

“Tuvok to B’Elanna, we have detected a large anomaly off the starboard bow.”

“It’s just Voyager arriving from an Au, stand by” she growled, her focus more on her friend in distress. 

“Can’t you do something?” Tom asked, his fear showing, as he watched the violent tremors continue. 

“I would if I knew what was happening here,” the Doc replied, frustration showing as he continued to scan Chakotay. 

Tom caught the silent whimper of his other self and his gut told him…he knew something. He stormed over and grabbed himself, “Tell me!” he demanded. “You know what’s happening, I can see it in your eyes…tell…” he stopped and saw the fear and in a flash of self understanding he looked over his shoulder and then back at his other self, “It’s happening again, isn’t it?” he dared asked. Seeing his fears realized as the other Tom nodded, he turned once more to face Chakotay and the EMH, but not with fear in his face, but anger and determination, “No…no, no, no,” he chanted as he charged toward the biobed. “NO!” he screamed as he grabbed his love’s body and started shaking it even harder, “You can’t have him, he’s mine! I won’t let you have him, you hear me! You get your filthy paws off him, he’s mine…mine!” he shouted, going so far as to leap up on the biobed to continue his assault. “You will not have him this time! He’s my love, my husband, my mate, the father of our children…he’s ours!” he screamed, as B’Elanna grabbed him off the bed, as Tom slapped the hypospray out of the Doc’s hand as he gathered his balance. 

“Tom…” She tried to speak, but he snapped a look at her that silenced her. 

“I won’t let that thing have him again…I won’t,” he growled and forced his way out of her grasp and stepped back to his love’s side, only to see the violent movements had stopped, all movement had stopped. He grabbed his hand, “I won’t lose you again,” he cried softly. 

The Doc was preparing another sedative, but a gesture from B’Elanna stopped him. She stepped closer to Tom, “Chakotay was performing Shaman rituals, he told me this was not only a physical battle, but a spiritual one. If that’s true, then he’s now on the spiritual plane…there is nothing we can do for him here, Tom, but have faith in him.” 

Tom wiped a tear from his cheek, and nodded yes, “Your right, we can have faith in him, but your wrong, there is something we can do for him here,” he said, his eye looking determined. He tapped his com badge, “Paris to Voyager” 

“Here Tom, what’s going on. I just made contact with this universe’s Tuvok, he tells me B’Elanna is in charge…”

“I’m sorry to interrupt, Captain, but I need a few things from Chakotay’s quarters…” he said, looking at B’Elanna. “We can arm him,” he said to her softly, and she gave a knowing smile, understanding what he meant. 

“Ah few things? Tom what is going on there?” 

“I’ll explain as best I can, Captain, but first, I need Chakotay’s medical bag, his wheel…” and Tom continued his list of items his gut told him his love would need from the things Chakotay had shared with him over the years. 

***********

Tom and the B’Elanna of this Voyager worked quickly, placing the wheel as she recalled it should be, and Tom setting up the medicine bundle on Chakotay’s chest, while sage and other herbs, Tom recalled Chakotay using, burned around him. Everyone else was banded from the room, and after all was set up, B’Elanna left Tom to brief Janeway for as she was reminded, she was now ‘captain’ of this ship. 

Tom could see the sweat bead on his love’s forehead, and wiped it off. “I’m sorry I was a bit presumptuous…about the husband part…and our children part…but it is how I feel,” Tom said softly, determined to lend his love all the strength he could. “I know you might say I’m rushing things, but I kind of see it as catching up,” he smiled. “I mean, we’ve been at this dance for over five years…I’d say that’s a pretty long courtship if you ask me,” he said, chuckling while stifling a sob, for Chakotay’s life signs were still not improving. 

Tom felt weary and looked at the chair, but he didn’t want to even move that far from Chakotay. He moved the medicine bundle to the top of the bio scanner at the head of the bed, and shifted his love slightly and climbed on the bed, curling up to his love as best he could, “I told you I wasn’t going to let you go, and I meant it,” he said in a half teasing tone, as he laid his head down on top of his love’s feeling the soft strands of his hair on his cheek. Exhaustion started to take over and Tom’s eyes grew heavy and the last of his tears fell down his cheek on to his love’s face…

***********

Tom looked around and found this place to be very strange, for it was part desert, part…nothing, though a large storm cloud was over head. In the distance he saw something…a figure…no…two figures right under the center of the large black storm cloud and as he thought to move forward, the vision shifted and he was there, yet he wasn’t. 

Standing like a dark warrior, looking more than capable of killing on a whim was Chakotay, dressed in black leather pants, and a matching vest, and his eyes matched, and Tom felt a shiver through his being at the sight. On the other side, facing this dark figure, was also Chakotay, the one he knew was his, simply by…knowing, tied to a large rock, but instead of ropes, there was a large black and green thorny vine wrapped all around him, pressing into his skin, but none had penetrated yet…and somehow Tom knew this was vital as he continued to watch, as his Chakotay struggled against the vines, resisting the endless pressure the thorns were placing to break through his skin. 

“It’s only a matter of time, and one will cut you, and that’s all it takes, Chakotay…just a tiny sliver in your armor and I’ll be in and you’ll be mine all over again. “Oh I admit, you are a lot stronger than you were before…before it was sooooo easy. One taste of your forbidden fruit and you were hooked, but I see you’re not as tempted as the other one…but no matter, you still can’t resist me forever. Your weak, Chakotay, weak from trying to fight the impossible odds…me,” the dark one laughed mirthlessly. 

Tom suddenly heard his own words echo in the wind, that Chakotay was his, that he was his husband, and the father of ‘his’ children. He saw Chakotay, ‘his’ Chakotay gain strength from his words. “I will not let you win,” he growled at the dark force before him. 

The dark one strode up to him and smacked him hard, “You speak eloquently now, but like the others before you, you will fall and…” he laughed darkly, “and then the fun will begin. I will have this universe and the next cursing your name and then…the next and the next…

The Chakotay on the rock saw the emergence of the medicine wheel appear in the sky, in direct conflict to the storm cloud and looked upward, closing his eyes to the foul words the dark one was spouting. 

“Don’t think your toys will help you,” the dark one growled, and with a gesture of his wrist, the vines grew tighter around the other’s body, making the man before him look like a balloon ready to pop. “Soon, Chakotay…soon.” 

“You…are…wrong…” Chakotay gasped out, as he fought for breath, then once more looked skyward, and then back to the dark one, a hug grin of victory on his face. “You’ve already failed,” he said, as suddenly he was bathed in a large liquid that looked like water, but fluid and crystal in nature. At the moment of impact the vines stopped their movement as all that the liquid touched crystallized into what could only be described to look like sky blue ice…and in one swift motion, Chakotay, looking like an ice sculpture of himself, broke free of the vines and shattered them and the rock, leaving only him, now free. 

Tom’s eyes grew wide as to what he witnessed next, for he had little words to describe it, only that he saw his love change…alter into a…something magnificent…but could not find words for it; then in moments the dark version of Chakotay was suddenly dust and then gone…the cloud was shrinking, but not gone…Tom was stunned. 

“You are my mate, my other half…never forget that.” 

Tom turned to see Chakotay…'his’ Chakotay looking strong and as beautiful as he knew him to be and hugged him with all his might. “What’s going on?” he asked, feeling that this suddenly was more than a dream. 

“Victory,” Chakotay laughed and kissed his love’s cheek. “Pooka, you must return to the land of mortals, and finish this fight there, as I must finish this one here. Free the crew, you have all you need to do so,” he said and kissed Tom’s fingers. “The key is in my right pocket. The computer will accept your codes to free it from my programs. Take our children to our Voyager and…wait. My body must remain on this ship…” 

“What do you mean…your body? Tay…?” 

“Trust me, Pooka, as I trust you, with everything,” he said, reaching out and placing a crystal version of his heart over Tom’s neck, like a necklace. “We are one, my love, my soul, my victory,” he smiled, and then stepped back. “Go…I will return.” 

“Tay…Tay…Tay!” 

*************

“Tom…Tom?” 

Tom snapped his eyes open and bolted up, only to be eased by a gentle but firm hand. “Easy, Lieutenant.” 

Tom looked to see Janeway standing next to him, a smile, but with concerned eyes. “Captain?” 

“I came to check on you both and found you calling for Chakotay, and though I should wake you,” she said gently as she helped him to his feet. “The Doc is baffled, he said that things looked bad, but as you slept, Chakotay’s vitals leveled off…he’s going to be all right,” she smiled. 

Tom took a moment to center his thoughts, then looked at the peaceful and piques face of the man he knew was his life. He smiled, “yes, he’s going to be just fine,” Tom replied, knowingly. He then reached in the pocket that Chakotay instructed him and found the key….he knew what he needed to do. He turned to Janeway, “How is everyone?” 

“They’re in bad shape, Tom. I’m not sure what I can do for them, but I know we’ll find something. Their spirits…”

“Are in good hands, Captain,” Tom grinned, knowing this to be the truth. “Come on, Captain, we’ve got work to do,” as he bounced on his feet, the key firm in his hand. 

**************

It was five days later, and though everyone else was concerned that Chakotay had not come around, Tom looked the epitome of calm. He said that Chakotay would be back when he was finished, and that was the end to it, he wouldn’t explain any farther. When pressed by Janeway, Tom smiled, “It’s a spiritual thing, Captain, and we both know that Starfleet doesn’t hold much water on those kind of things, so why bother asking,” he said, in a, that’s all your going to get from me tone. 

Sadly or fortunately, none of the egg donors wanted anything to do with the children, so all six were transported to the other Voyager under the EMH’s care. To everyone’s disbelief, Tom was able to remove the collars and rid the computer of the code that would set the ship’s self destruct systems into motion without Chakotay being present and return all systems to normal and over to this Voyager’s new…new Captain, Tuvok…B’Elanna not wanting the job. 

Janeway aided the best she could, offering supplies, advice, and a shoulder for a few of the other crew members to cry on, as did others of her crew. Tom stayed faithful to Chakotay, never going too far from his side for very long, no sign of concern in his eyes, as he too offered his support to those in need. 

“Tom?” 

He looked up from his seat at the edge of the biobed, where he was perched holding his love’s hand. “I know, Captain. You want to leave and of course, we’re not leaving him here…” he turned to look at her, “He’s almost done,” he whispered, the faith in his eyes shining like a light. 

Kathryn walked up to Tom, “How…how can you be so sure?” she asked, knowing it was a double sided question. 

“I’m sure, because I know. People think its faith, but faith is believing in the unknown…but I know, Captain. I’ve seen…” he said, smiling at her. “I was there when he defeated that thing and it was him that told me how to fix things here, so you see, it’s not faith, but knowing. As to how I know he’ll be back soon…” he shrugged, “that’s just a feeling, but he promised to return, and you know he doesn’t lie…not to me, anyway,” he grinned playfully. 

“I’ll give you until this afternoon, and then we ‘have’ to go. We can’t keep the power levels up to maintain the portal much longer…”

“He knows that, Captain. He’ll be back.” 

Janeway gave a soft sigh, “I hope so,” she replied and left to finalize their departure. 

Tom sat holding his love’s hand as another hour passed, and then stood up, gathering a glass of water and then as by instinct propped Chakotay up as he suddenly burst into a coughing spasm. “Easy, love…easy,” he said, gently rubbing Chakotay’s back until the coughing stopped and their eyes met. “Welcome back,” he smiled, and handed him the water, letting him sip. 

Chakotay sipped the water wantonly, his body dehydrated, but his eyes shined his love for the man holding him. When he was done, he cleared his throat… “you were there.” 

“Like you doubted it?” Tom asked with a mild tease in his voice. Then his eyes grew serious, “yes, I was there, not that I know how, but I was, and I’m glad…it’s over.”

“Yes…it’s over,” Chakotay smiled, then reached up and brought Tom’s face closer to him, “I love you, Pooka,” he whispered and kissed his love deeply. 

A soft moan left Tom’s lips as his body eagerly responded to his love’s touch, but he willed himself back, “As much as I want to make love to you, here is not the place and time.” 

“True, I much prefer ‘our’ bed,” Chakotay replied, shifting up, so he could sit up. He caressed the soft skin of Tom’s cheek, his eyes drinking in the soul before him, his eyes sparkling with love and wonder. 

“What?” Tom asked, feeling a blush cross his cheeks. 

“Just wondering how I got to be so blessed, that’s all.”

“It’s I that is blessed, Chakotay,” Tom said softly, and wanted to kiss him again when the EMH walked in. 

“Excellent! Your Captain, as will many will be pleased to know you are awake,” he said as he scanned Chakotay, “and well, I might add, under the conditions you’ve been under.” 

Chakotay turned to face the EMH, “Thanks Doc. Thanks for believing in me.”

The Doctor looked touched, “It…it was my pleasure…Captain,” he said softly. Then cleared his throat, “Well, if you don’t mind, perhaps you should forgo this bed for more in need patients?” 

“I couldn’t agree more, Doc,” he grinned and looked at Tom, taking his hand, “Let’s go home, Tom.” 

“I’m with you, Tay, let’s go home!” 

***************

Chakotay stretched as he got ready for bed, another long shift dealt with. 

“Here, let me get that,” Tom said, as he walked up behind his tired spouse, and started rubbing his aching back. “Feel better?” 

“Mmm, I thought after a month you’d stop spoiling me,” Chakotay chuckled as he leaned back against his husband’s lean form, forgoing removal of the rest of his uniform. 

“No, that comes, after the babies are born, Papa Bear,” Tom teased as he stopped the massage and helped Chakotay undress for bed. He removed Chakotay’s shirt and undid his pants and removed his shoes and socks and then the pants, leaving only the underwear that now sported a large bulge. “Mmm, I thought Papa Bear was sleepy,” Tom teased, as his hand caressed the firm erection under the soft material. 

“He is, but he’s always up for a little lovin’ form his Pooka,” Chakotay moaned as he twisted in his husband’s arms, undoing the lover’s robe that Tom wore, to find that was all he wore. He pulled Tom to him tighter so their skin touched and wrapped his arms around his strong muscular lean body, cupping the ivory cheeks, to be rewarded by Tom’s moan in return. “You feel good,” he sighed, as he caressed the soft skin under his touch. 

“I know how I’d feel better,” Tom replied, between soft moans at his husband’s exploration of his body. 

“How’s that, Pooka?” Chakotay asked as he started nipping on the soft flesh between Tom’s neck and shoulder, loving the feel, the taste, the smell of his husband. 

Tom reached a hand between them and let his talented finger caress and grasp hold of the rock iron that he now felt pressed against him, “by having you inside me,” he replied, releasing his grasp and removing the thin cloth that kept his love’s cock hidden. “I want you to fuck me, Papa Bear,” he groaned out, his own need taking over, knowing his crude words would have the desired effect on his husband. 

“Oh yes,” Chakotay growled and as he stepped from his underwear, he swept his love up into his arms and in a few short strides deposited him firmly on the bed, his large muscular body covering him from head to toe, placing kisses where his mouth could reach and touching where his hands would go. More of their own volition, one hand reached for where they kept the lubrication, as the other caressed the steel rod, between Tom’s legs, building up pre-cum, then slick fingers finding their target and pressed inward. “Like that, Pooka?” Chakotay asked, his tone teasing now, as he saw how Tom was now writhing under this touch. 

“Oh, yes,” he panted out, looking up into dark smoldering eyes, feeling his own body melting to ashes within them. “But I need more,” he added, as he pressed down, trying to fuck himself on his husband’s large firm fingers. 

“What it is it you want, baby?” Chakotay asked, as he now added three lubricated fingers, pressing in farther, scrapping the sweet spot that drove his husband into an extreme frenzy. 

“Ah….you…I want you…your cock…please, baby, fuck me…take me,” he gasped, feeling the sweet torture that only his mate could bring him. “I want you to come in me,” he panted. 

Chakotay’s eye were now so black, there was no sigh of an iris, but the love and desire sparked their life as he removed his fingers and shifted in-between his love’s legs, placing a pillow under Tom’s hips, then shifted his cock inward, the fit, tight and perfect. “OH…Spirits, baby!” he cried out as he entered his husband’s hot passage. “You feel so good around my, cock, baby, so hot, so tight…sooo….good,” he groaned as he started thrusting deep into his love. 

Tom’s body arched into each thrust, forcing each one to go deeper, “Yes…harder, take me, make me yours all over again!” Tom panted, as the wave of fire boiled up with in him. “Oh, yes….fuck me…yes…ooooh, yes!” 

Chakotay became lost for words as he lost control and slammed into his husband’s body with abandonment, pounding his cock, every thick inch after inch of it, into Tom’s willing body, making their merger complete, as the sensation burned all throughout his body and stars burst before his eyes, “I’m….I’m…”

“Yes…in me…all of it…in me….oh….oh, TAAAAAYYYYY!

“TOOOOOOOOM!

The seconds and minutes after the explosion were always lost on them as they both were lost in the merging moments of their souls, that they were never quite sure how they always came too with Chakotay on his back and Tom snuggled deep in his arms, but that was how it was. Sometimes they would kiss and fall right back to sleep, other times, like this one, they simply continued to sleep on… 

“NO!” 

Tom bolted from bed, hearing the scream of his husband to see him sitting up in bed covered with sweat. “Tay…?” 

Chakotay turned to him, and with the starlight Tom could see clearly into his love’s face and saw the fear as he spoke, “It’s here.” 

“What’s here?” 

“It’s here,” Chakotay said as he jumped out of bed, grabbing his robe, “and it’s after the children,” he said and ran out of the room as fast as his feet could carry him. 

It only took Tom a moment to realize what Chakotay was saying and fear struck his own heart, and he too soon followed, after gathering a robe…their children were in danger.

*****End of Part five********

“I’m telling you, Captain that it’s here. That some how we brought it back with us,” Chakotay said, leaning across her desk, physically showing his desperate sincerity. 

“Commander, we ran ever test we had last night when you came storming on the bridge after locking down sickbay. To be honest with you, had we not witnessed the…horrors that occurred on the other Voyager…”

Chakotay leans back, a bit annoyed and angry, “You wouldn’t have believed me,” he finishes for her. Her silence is her acknowledgement. “Well, whether you believe me or not, Kathryn, it ‘is’ here and it’s after the children,” he said, his voice tight, his determination to protect his family clear. 

Kathryn looks up from her coffee, “Chakotay…we…we can’t fight what we can’t see. But…” she holds up a hand to stall his protests, “I will continue to have security increased around sickbay and I’ll have ops and Seven continue their search, but that’s all I can do, Chakotay, I’m sorry.” 

Chakotay was going to say more then a comforting hand was placed on his shoulder, “It’s well appreciated, Captain, thank you,” Tom said, gently tugging on his husband’s shoulder, letting him know it was time to go. 

Chakotay sees the wisdom of a retreat and nods, “Yes, thank you,” he adds, and fixes his robe, for he and Tom never took the opportunity to change since balking out of their quarters to check on the children. 

“Good. By the way, how is the nursery coming? I mean…six...” she shakes her head at the overwhelming number of children that the two men before her would soon be caring for. Sure, many would be helping, but still in the long run, it was going to come down to Tom and Chakotay…the children’s fathers. 

Tom gives a glowing smile, “It’s beautiful, Captain, I can’t wait for you to come see the wonders Chakotay has done with it,” he said like a proud spouse. 

Chakotay gives off a small blush like expression, “Well, that’s nothing to what Tom has done, with the aid of B’Elanna and the engineering crew.”

“Yes, I was wondering what they were up to,” Kathryn smiled as she got up and offered her two officers and friends some more coffee. 

“Besides reinforcing the hull integrity, like they did with Naomi’s room, they also put in holo emitters all over…”

“But I thought the Doctor didn’t need…”

“It’s not for the doctor,” Chakotay interjects. “It’s for the nannies. 

Janeway arches a brow, “Nannies?” 

“Come on, Captain, lets face a few truths here,” Tom smiled. “There is no way one person can handle six babies, even two amazing men such as ourselves will find it a challenge,” he joked, “So we decided that along with a real person to aid when one of us was not able to be there, since our schedules are demanding, that we have a couple of nannies to help.”

“You should see the program Tom wrote,” Chakotay said, his turn to glow in the pride of his loving husband. “He says they are based off an old vid called…” he turns to Tom with a questioning look.

“Marry Poppins. She was renowned as to be the best nanny around and…”

“Nothing but the best for the Paris children,” she teased, pleased that her officers had worked things out. Sure she was floored when they came to her a few days after Chakotay’s return requesting to be married, and even more surprised that Chakotay was taking Tom’s last name as well as were the children. Tom explained that he may be giving the last name, but Chakotay was giving the life, meaning they would follow Chakotay’s tribe’s ways in raising them. 

“Well, I’m glad you came up with a viable solution, now, how about you two go home, get a bit more rest, I’ll shift the schedules around, and gentlemen…”

“Yes, Captain?” they both said.

“Get some cloths on,” she teased, as she called for a site to site transport for them. 

************

“I’m sorry, Tom for going off like that,” Chakotay said as he sits on the sofa, having just finished beaming in. 

“No, don’t be. But it is clear, that the Captain and the others can’t help us beyond what they have already done. No, this is ‘our’ fight, love, and somehow, we’re going to have to handle it.”

Chakotay smiles lovingly at his husband, “How did I get so blessed,” he purred as he caressed Tom’s face, “brains as well as beauty, and all mine,” he added in a teasing tone before placing a soft kiss on Tom’s lips. He then sat back, seriousness creeping back in. “But your right, this is our fight, but…” he turned a way looking lost. 

“I know, how can we fight what we don’t see or know about,” Tom said, reflecting his husbands thoughts. “Look, why don’t we just give it a couple of days and see if the others can come up with something,” Tom suggested, caressing the tension out of his love’s shoulders. 

Chakotay sighs, “I guess so,” he agrees reluctantly. 

“Besides, the Doc said that the children will do much better if they stay in the tanks until their term is up, that’s in less than two weeks, your protections on them will continue to keep them safe until then, I know it, or this thing would have…you know, instead of taunt you like it is.” 

Chakotay looks up, another smile on his face, “How’d you get so wise?” 

“Simple, I take after you,” Tom teased and placed a peck on Chakotay’s cheek. “Now, how about we get some more rest, I know we both could use it.” 

On that note, both men, got ready for bed again, taking comfort in each other’s arms that everything would be all right. 

***************

“NO!”

Tom sits up in bed, automatically caressing Chakotay’s back, knowing it was another nightmare/attack against his husband from this unknown alien or force that has occurred each time Chakotay tried to sleep over the past three days. “Shh, it’s all right,” Tom soothed, hoping his words were the truth. 

Chakotay calls for lights, then shifts to face Tom, “I’ve got to do something,” he said, a fact and a plea. 

“What?” Tom asks, seeing that this time Chakotay has something in mind, but by the hesitation in his eyes, it had to be dangerous. 

“Spirit walk.”

“Tay, you go…”

“No, baby, not like that, like the one I did on the other Voyager,” he corrected, seeing Tom mistake his meditation journeys for what he was referring too. “But, I don’t think the Captain will approve it for time in the other word varies from this one and…”

“You might not come back,” Tom said, reflecting his and his husband’s fears for them both. 

“I do feel that I will, but…” he sighed, his exhaustion showing once again. “I have to act before I get weakened like I did the last time. I know some of its tactics now, but whatever it is, it is no fool, that much I can tell as well.” 

Tom shifted until he was sitting beside Chakotay and embraced him in his arms tightly as if their very lives depended on it, neither man moved for the longest time, until Tom whispered, “Do what you must…I’ll be here…waiting, watching,” he vowed. 

Chakotay leaned up, his eyes expressing the depths of his love for his mate, “Thank you, Tom…for everything.” He reaches up and caresses his love’s faces, raking his eyes over it as if burning every inch into his heart and mind, “The sooner the better,” he finally said, and with a nod from Tom, he rose from the bed and headed out to prepare for his journey. 

Tom watches him leave, folding his arms around his chest, as a single tear falls down his face; the most he’ll allow himself to admit to the danger he just let his husband walk into. 

******************

He had never seen the ship from this perspective before, well not this ship. The corridors appeared empty, and some of them were well lit as others dark, showing life verses no life in each corridor. He didn’t see people, but he sensed them as he walked the hallway moving form one section to another. 

He slowly made his way down to engineering, having looked over the rest of the upper decks, feeling the darkness and that it did have a hold on Voyager, a small one, but a good one, but he couldn’t tell where. It seemed his enemy learned from his mistakes, and hid its trail, making his job all that more difficult, but he was determined to find it. 

He entered the lower deck and felt the chill that told him he was getting closer. He followed his senses, passing the main engineering room all the way to the research lab on the same level, where B’Elanna and others tested their toys. Willing himself into the next room, he stopped; his soul shivering as he entered…it was here…this was it. He slowly looked around and took note to the eerie green glow that he had seen before coming form the next room and moved toward it, bracing himself the best he could, not wanting to confront it directly, for that would be foolish and he knew it. 

He edged his way to the corner of the archway and peered in, his eyes scanning the room and finally falling on the source of this evil…the crystal! The green stone that could open doorways to other universes was more than it appeared, it was the evil…the source. Chakotay slowly moved back around, closing his eyes, letting his senses take in all around him, so he could filter the information he had before him. Fact, the thing was intelligent, but it needed another to do its bidding. From lessons as a child, he recalled that such evils were but mere powers without body…until they got one. //“He said it bit him”// B’Elanna from the other ship had said. 

Chakotay opened his eyes, it made sense now. The rock forced a fragment of its self into his other self, and being that it was around the time of the Chaos elements he had to fight…the darkness was able to win for it played to the other Chakotay’s madness at the time. Some how this gave a great relief to Chakotay that his other self was not such a push over for this thing, but that he was attacked at his most vulnerable. 

Chakotay opened his eyes and turned to look once more, letting his eyes take in every aspect before him until he spotted it. It was only one, but it was there, a vine or tentacle, and though it was not thick, it still meant one thing…someone was infected! 

He moved his way out of the room and headed back to his quarters, but as he was passing the many decks, he felt it…a pull, a strong pull, and when he allowed himself to focus on it, he knew it was his beloved’s spirit. He smiled and followed without question and was not surprised to see that he was walking into sickbay, //must have been gone a bit longer than I thought, if they brought me here.// he mused, realizing this to be a truth. He entered sickbay, and though he could still see no people, he could still see objects and sense things…his love’s spirit called to him and with a glad heart he moved forward until he felt close enough to the source of his love’s being. It was a shift, and it was difficult, but Chakotay slowly started shifting levels, having chosen the one he had to make his journey faster, no living spirits to avoid, thus the more difficult transition. Thought by thought this seemed easy, it was most difficult, and many Shamans either could not achieve the proper level in the first place or they didn’t make it back. 

As Chakotay started his shift, he felt the drain on his life force, but he also felt the reserves placed there by the love of his soul mate…Tom. This would be the key factor for him and he knew this, and deep down he believed his husband did too. Tom had taken to his ways far quicker than he believed possible, but as Tom explained, “I was touched by you on the spirit plane, how could I deny it once I was back here?” //How indeed,// Chakotay muses warmly. 

As his spirit shifts the many planes he starts to see the rainbows of color that was the spirit of life, and they were bright and bold, showing the abundance of life in this area. He knew the small compact ones were his children in the other room and was relieved to see each one was still free of any dark entanglement that occurs in life, which should not be there at this stage. He noted the one that was vivid, light and a touch of darkness, but that was due to pains of the soul that comes from having to face many of life’s barriers, plus it had a strong famine quality and Chakotay was sure without doubt that it was Kathryn, and was glad that she was looking after him and Tom. Tom…his spirit, still tainted by life’s hardships, it still glowed with a sky blueness that radiated Tom’s uniqueness to the universe. He couldn’t resist, he reached out and caressed the soft blue colors, feeling the connection in his finger tips, the love surging through him like electricity and he felt his own soul strengthen and rejoice as it touched it’s other half. 

He noted then as he moved to the bed the faint glow of life that his body would have being that his spirit was not in it and stood there a second, preparing his return, when he looked up and saw a tiny spark of deep blue and bright green, and orange, move in and toward them. Chakotay’s eyes narrowed, for he had never seen anything like this before, and watched the tiny spark, the size of an apple, compared to the man-size ones next to it, move and weave about and come to stand next to his body. //Doc?// was his thought, and grinned with understanding and was awed once again by the many magicks the universe held…but it was time to return. 

*********

“How did you do that?” The EMH inquired, looking at Tom Paris, as he held his now awakened spouse, who was coughing, a mild spasm from the lack of food and water over the last few days. “How did you know he was going to wake up?” he asked again, for his scanners could not detect any changes, only that Commander Chakotay was in some sort of self induced trance and would not wake up. 

“Because I felt him,” Tom grinned, his eyes glowing, as he helped Chakotay sit up, their eyes locking. “Because I felt him,” he said again, this time, letting Chakotay see it in his eyes. 

Chakotay grinned back, even though he was tired. Then he spotted the mix of relief and anger from Kathryn’s eyes not far from him. He shifted his gaze, “I’m sorry…”

“You damn right you are,” Kathryn said, her anger taking over. “What were you thinking…”

“Kathryn please, it was necessary…”

“To have you out of commission for four day? I don’t think so; how could you do this and not talk to me first?” 

“Because you would have said no,” Chakotay replied, his tone stronger. “This is not something we can dismiss simply because it can’t be detected on a scanner. Damn it, Kathryn, it’s real, very real, and it ‘is’ here!” he finished, swinging his feet over the edge, being held by Tom as a dizzy spell over came him. 

“You have been without food or water for four days, Commander, you need to rest. I did make sure you didn’t get too dehydrated, but still, you need nourishments…but I guess, because I’m just a hologram, my opinion doesn’t matter,” the EMH quips having been down this road with the senior staff before. 

“That’s not quite true, Doc,” Chakotay replied, a strange smile on his face and not explaining farther, at seeing the puzzlement at the Doc’s face. 

“Does this mean you found it?” Tom asked, wanting a few answers himself. 

Chakotay looks at his love, “Yes, I found it and…I have a plan to get rid of it,” he smiled, confidence shining in his eyes. 

***********

Chakotay, Tom, Kathryn, B’Elanna, Tuvok, Seven and Harry Kim stood around the torpedo that was now open where a small chamber was revealed, but no contents. 

“Why are we here?” B’Elanna asks her puzzlement and irritation at being dragged from her engines clear in her expression. 

“Were here to get rid of a problem once and for all,” Chakotay said firmly. 

“And what’s that?” Harry inquires. 

“The source,” Chakotay said as he moves to the console and after a few seconds, the chamber inside the torpedo twinkles and the appearance of the Random Rock. “That thing is not a mere power source, it is a living source of evil, and whether you agree or not,” Chakotay said as he continues to manipulating the console, that triggers the torpedo to close and seal the item with in it, “I’m getting rid of it. I’ve programmed this torpedo to take it to the heart of the near by sun, so even if it doesn’t destroy it, no one will ever find it again,” he said firmly. 

“Are you insane?” B’Elanna demands. “This crystal holds the key to almost unlimited power that could run our warp core forever?”

“It is a scientific wonder, and a grave mistake to destroy based on a sole…emotional beliefs,” Seven said also. 

“Well, too bad,” Chakotay replies, as he moves closer, holding a tiny switch in his hand. “For once I press this button, it’s gone,” he replies, and then as if for dramatic affect he opens his hand, and then proceeds to push the move to push it. 

B’Elanna, Seven, and Harry turned to the Captain with implored looks, but to their amazement, Tuvok was the one that stopped Chakotay by grabbing his wrist, forcing the switch from his hand. 

“NOW!” Chakotay shouted, and Tom sprang into action, taking the hypo he had hidden and injecting it into Tuvok, who did not immediately fall. 

Before anyone knew it, Chakotay and Tuvok were wrestling on the ground, as the Captain called for the EMH, and instructed B’Elanna to help Chakotay secure Tuvok. Between the two of them, they had the Vulcan held, his eyes sparking with a eerie green, though mild. 

The EMH was now there scanning him, “It’s in his left arm, traveling fast upward,” he said flatly.

“We have to get it out of him, now,” Chakotay replied, as he pushes Tuvok to the ground, so B’Elanna and the Doc could hold him still, the body finally falling to the second sedative given it. 

“I have to place on the electronic tourniquet,” the EMH said as he moved to place a thin rubber and electronic band around the upper arm, and then placed another one by the elbow, thus trapping the thing in-between. 

“We need to get rid of that thing now,” Chakotay growled as he got up to move to the console, his intent to fire the torpedo. He hit the button that set things into motion as he turned to the EMH’s cry. 

“Something’s happening!” 

Chakotay and the others watched as the green shard burst its way out of Tuvok’s arm, leaving a bloody mess, and like a projectile, shoot through the air…heading straight for Tom. 

It was instinct…

“NO!” Tom cried out as he saw the pain in Chakotay’s eyes as the thing penetrated Chakotay’s back, while Chakotay had moved to shove him out of the way. “Doc!” Tom cried again, as Chakotay dropped to the floor, his eyes still showing the pain and surprise of the turn of events. 

The Doc had been in the process of keeping Tuvok from bleeding to death, the Vulcan’s arm having been exploded open all the veins, muscles and the artery damaged. He handed B’Elanna a mini-stasis unit, to hold over the wound; it would buy him time to triage his other patient, as he moved to scan the now wounded Commander. 

“Get it out of him!” Tom cried, tears falling down his face, at seeing his love hurt. 

The EMH scanned again the area, and then looked up to meet the agonized gaze of Tom Paris, “I can’t, it’s embedded itself in his spine.” 

“Tom…” Chakotay cried out, his voice strained by the pain, When his love’s eyes met his own, he own heart ached, but it had to be done, “The shard has to go with the rest,” he said, a small wheeze of pain escaping his lips. 

“Chakotay, the shard…” Tom didn’t know what to say, and closed his eyes, trying to focus. 

“Tom…” he called out, and again waited until Tom looked at him. When Tom’s eye met his again, he smiled as lovingly as he could, “I know…” then he turned to the EMH and the Captain, knowing that his Tommy could never do what he was going to ask. “It won’t let me go…” he wheezed, feeling the thing quickly taking hold over his body. “You’re going to have to kill me and send my body into the sun as well…it’s the only way.”

“NO!” Tom shouted. “NO!” 

Chakotay looked up, his body now trembling, “It’s the only way, Tommy…”

“I won’t let you go and I won’t let that thing win…no,” Tom cried. “Captain, you can’t!” 

Janeway didn’t know what to do. She only half believed that there was an alien on board, and when Chakotay said it was inside one of her officers, for it made sense that it would want someone that held the power over the ship, she wanted to flat out deny it. But now… “Take them to sick bay,” she ordered her voice tight. 

“No, Captain, please, I don’t want to become that monster…please,” Chakotay begged his body loosing strength due to the wound. “Please,” he cried, tears now down his face, as he heard the Doc call for the medical transport. “I’d rather die than become that again…please Tom…please, kill me now…please?” 

Tom was forced to let go of Chakotay, as the EMH took Chakotay and beamed away, their eyes still locked and Chakotay’s pleas still in his ears. Tom crumpled to the floor, he felt it, he felt the darkness in his love and was torn as to what to do, for Chakotay was the Shaman not him, if Chakotay fell victim to it once again…he shook with hurt and fear at the thought. //I won’t allow it!// his mind shouted. But his spirit was not so convinced as he leaned into Kathryn and let his tears fall. 

********End of Part Six******

“You can’t just kill him,” Tom cried softly, while Kathryn held him, all their emotions torn. 

“I won’t. I’m sure the EMH will find some way of getting that thing out of him,” she said, trying to lend some comfort to the young man, while trying to understand things herself. 

Tom suddenly shifted in her arms going stiff, “The children,” he said, and without explanation, he broke her hold and dashed out of the room. 

“Captain, what the hell is going on here?” B’Elanna asked, no longer caring that the crystal was gone, its destination some sun somewhere. 

“Chakotay was right, that thing…is some alien, and it apparently needs a host. We were not sure which one it was, for it was hiding it’s self, but once revealed, via Tuvok’s action to prevent the large portion of its self being destroyed, I guess the Doc was able to detect it. 

“So you’re saying that once it knew it was trapped, it purposely shot out of Tuvok’s arm toward Tom?” Harry asked in some disbelief. 

“It was most likely a ruse,” Seven said as she stepped forward. 

“What do you mean?” Janeway inquired. 

“From what little I have gathered about this…alien, and the experiences that occurred on the other Voyager from the reports, and what the Commander was saying about it being after ‘his’ children, I believe the alien targeted Mr. Paris, knowing the Commander would protect him…”

“Thus allowing himself to be hit, where as if it went straight for him, he would have ducked,” Harry finished for her. 

“Exactly; so in essence, it ‘got’ the one it really wanted.” Seven said.

“Why?” 

All looked At B’Elanna who had asked the question. “Why Chakotay? I mean, sure he’s a terrific person, but why him? Why has this thing singled him out?” 

For the longest moment there was no reply, “I wish I knew, B’Elanna, I wish I knew,” Kathryn replied with sorrow. 

“I must now take this time to state, that if this alien has chosen Commander Chakotay, it must be because it sees him as the strongest vessel to use for its dark purpose; how or why is irrelevant, since it has chosen him. The fact remains it has and it is now in possession of the Commander’s body…”

“Not yet, the Commander’s strong,” Harry interjected, “He can fight it?”

“Perhaps, but we must be prepared for the worst. It might become necessary to…fulfill the Commanders last wish,” Kathryn said flatly, though her eyes showed she did not want to. 

“You can’t just kill him…” B’Elanna started to bark, but Janeway silenced her. 

“Enough. Before we do ‘anything’ we do what we always do…find options. As I said, we have to be prepared for the worst. B’Elanna, I want you to go over the computers systems, the last one tried to alter it, and since it had Tuvok…well, best safe than sorry. Also, lock out Chakotay’s voice print and all his codes. Harry, I want you to secure sickbay and all joining levels, if things do go sour I want it contained and no where near Chakotay’s children, you understand? Seven, go see if you can assist the Doctor, there must be away of removing that things…there just has to be.”

**************

Tom entered sickbay at the far end, moving to the room where their children rested as they grew, carrying a bag and a pad. He moved inside and turned on the pad, then proceeding to follow it’s instructions that Chakotay had left should things go wrong. He pulled out the contents of the bag and slowly, painfully, for his heart was hurting, he placed them where they belonged and held the ceremony of protection that would bar the evil from this room. Tom was no Shaman, and was glad that Chakotay had done the more difficult ones previously, but this one would also keep Chakotay out if his spirit was tainted, blocking him from his children fully. 

When Tom was done, he wiped a tear from his face, sent a silent prayer to the spirits and his children to watch over Chakotay, and exited to see if there was any progress. He moved in farther to see Chakotay was sleeping, as was Tuvok. 

“Doc?” he called out. 

“Lieutenant,” the EMH greeted as he moved forward, “I’ve given him a mild sedative, while I treated Mr. Tuvok. After wards I scanned again…”

“And?”

“I’m afraid it’s like I said before, the thing has embedded itself into the Commander’s spine, coating it, more like a gel substance, making removal impossible. At the moment I am at a loss as to how to proceed, but Seven and I are running a few test…I’m sure we’ll come up with something,” he tried to assure the young man. 

“Thanks, Doc,” Tom said and moved to be with his love as the EMH moved back to continue his test. “I won’t let you go, Chakotay, and I won’t let you have him!” Tom growled, keeping his voice low, so only the alien and Chakotay could hear him like before. 

Slowly Chakotay’s eyes blinked open, then slowly looked at Tom and he gave him a weak smile, as Tom took his hand and squeezed it softly. “Hey,” Tom whispered lovingly. 

“Hey,” Chakotay replied in a small voice. 

Tom leaned down and kissed his love, slowly, tenderly, and felt strong arms moving around him, gently pulling him closer. Before Tom knew it, he was half on top of his love, feeling his strong hands caressing his back, then suddenly he was flipped, and Chakotay was on top of him, biting his neck, his hands moving under his jacket to touch his skin…

“What…Tay…” Tom said, as he tried pushing his love off him, for this was not the place for this, “Stop this…”

“Why,” Chakotay growled his arousal evident in his voice. Then was moved back as Tom pushed him harder, so he now was straddling the younger man. “I know you want it, you always want it,” he growled leering at Tom. 

Tom looked up with surprise at his husband’s words and then shook with fear, for his eyes….they were dark, not black, but darker then they were before, and there was no love in them…just lust. “You’re…you’re not my husband,” Tom cried out, pushing, kicking himself free of this things hold, successfully shoving the man off the bed, as the EMH entered the room. 

“Oh, come on, Tommy, don’t be that way,” Chakotay said, his face a tiny pout, but the smirk was still there none the less. 

Tom moved away from the biobed fast, for he knew what the Doc would do, it was standard procedure. The EMH called for a level ten force field around the bio bed, encompassing Chakotay or the alien within him. “You let him go,” Tom demanded as if that would be enough for the thing to give up and surrender. 

Chakotay laughed at the ridiculous order as he bounced on the biobed, fully aware of the field around him. “Hardly, lover boy. I went to a lot of trouble to get this one, I’m not giving him up…” his eyes turned a bit darker, though still not black, “Ever!” 

“What’s going on?” Janeway demanded as she walked in seeing a situation had developed. 

“Kathy,” Chakotay said with a playful tone, and moved to the force field, touching it, and only slightly moving back at its touch. His eyes raking over her like a piece of meat, actually licking his lips, and then chuckling at seeing her reaction of disgust. 

“Who are you!” she demanded, feeling more than ready to confront this alien. 

“I am…” Chakotay said in a slow draw, half turning away from her, “Your master,” he smirked. 

“Hardly. Now I’ll ask you again…”

“Or you’ll what? Kill me?” he laughed even harder than the situation seemed warranted, “Perhaps if you had listened to him at the beginning and done so that would have worked, but not now…not with this one,” he smirked. 

“That’s the second time you called Chakotay ‘this one’,” Tom retorted, moving to stand by the Captain. 

“Mmmm, brains and beauty,” Chakotay purrs darkly as he presses himself against the force field, something he should not be able to do, and licks it, his eyes eating Tom up as he does so. “Yes…this one. I don’t know why ‘you’ need explanations, Blondie, you saw it,” he grinned, then moved back to the biobed and makes himself comfortable, his hands behind his head. 

Tom looked puzzled “Saw what?” 

“Come and fuck me, Tommy, then I’ll tell you,” he said in a half purr half mocking tone. 

Janeway turned to the EMH, “I want that thing out of my First Officer, now.”

“Captain, Seven and I are trying…”

“They can’t do a thing, Kathy, they never could,” Chakotay laughs with a dark victory to its tone. “If I were you, Kathy, I’d start to panic, for as we speak, I’m getting stronger, and in ways none of you can imagine,” he grinned, his eyes expressing a dark spark to them. 

“What do you mean, we defeated you before…”

“You killed the other host, that’s all,” Chakotay growled as he sits up, “But that was not this one. You can’t do that to this one…not now, not that I have tapped his power…power even he didn’t know he had… until now, now that its mine,” he said, moving off the bed like a deadly panther, stalking its prey and moved to the force field. “This thing won’t hold me for much longer, and soon, I’ll be free to move through this ship and then, Kathy…then I’m coming for you. I’m going to show you first hand what you gave up all those years ago back on new earth…I’m gong to ram my cock it into you over and over and over again until you bleed, and then I’m going to do it some more,” he taunted, then turned to Tom. 

“Don’t worry, my pretty fuck toy, there’ll be plenty left for you, and you’ll have my full attention, for once I’m done with Kathy here, I’m going to stuff her and mount her on the bridge wall,” he chuckled. “A much better fixture than simply her head on a pig poll…yes?” 

“You are sick!” Tom hissed. “Chakotay, I know your in there, don’t let this thing win, you can defeat it…fight it!” Tom shouted, suddenly jumping back as Chakotay’s body slams the field before him, causing him to jump back. 

Chakotay’s mad laughter sends a dark chill down everyone’s spine, even the EMH’s. “He can’t beat me, Tommy, he never could. He is one to my many…”

“That’s a lie! He defeated you before, I saw it…” Tom stopped in mid-sentence, recalling the things words, that Tom had seen the reason for wanting Chakotay, and recalling his experience in the spiritual realm, suddenly understood. He looked up at the thing with understanding. 

Chakotay saw Tom’s realization, “That’s right, Tommy. I want that power and I will have it all, and when I do, no one or nothing will be able to stop me…ever…EVER!” 

Greg Alaya suddenly arrived via the EMH’s hail as several security men enter as well as B’Elanna and Seven. Janeway turns to them, “The level ten is barely holding him, and if his quips of power growing is true, it won’t hold him for long…I don’t want that thing lose on my ship, understand?” she said, looking more at Seven then the others, who gave a nod of understanding. If it got lose, she was to kill it. 

*********

Tom and Janeway were now sitting in the baby’s room off sickbay, the only place Tom would relax in, with Tom sitting on the biobed, sipping tea, as Janeway sipped coffee. 

“What are you not telling me, Tom? What is it that…that thing wants with Chakotay. I saw the realization just like it did…tell me, Tom, please?” 

“When we were back on the other Voyager, and I was sleeping with Chakotay in my arms, you remember…” 

“Yes, I recall, go on.” 

“Well, it seemed like a wild dream. Things were half in existence half not, and there was the dark Chakotay and mine, but mine was tied to a large rock as thick ugly thorny vines were squeezing him, trying to penetrate his skin and were failing. Then things started to change and what appeared to be a large rain drop fell down upon my Tay and everything crystallized, including him, the rock, and the vines. Then he flexed his muscles, that still rippled even thought they looked like crystal, and shattered the vines and the rock. I then watched the two stare off at each other, then Tay started to change…alter…”

“How, was it the other…”

“No, it wasn’t the other one. Tay looked up to the sky lifting his hands up, like a child asking to be lifted up, then he started changing, growing…it’s hard to explain.”

“Please try, Tom. I know I’ve confessed my doubts, but…well,” she sighed, “as you said, seeing is believing, and I am most defiantly becoming a believer here, so please try…it may help.” 

Tom gave a tiny smile, “Well, I guess if I was forced to put words to it, the closet I could come would be…angel. I mean, the dark one turned ugly, dark, like a void, yet with half a form. Tay seemed to become light…light with wings,” Tom chuckled at his words, but his eyes awed at the vision. It was more of something I felt than saw, really,” he said looking back at Janeway. 

“Power,” Janeway said, if asking for confirmation. 

Tom nodded sadly, “Yes, power. Chakotay glowed with power…a lot of it...”

“And now this thing wants to lay claim to it,” she finished for him. 

Tom shook his head yes. “I know he’s still in there, fighting…”

“How can you be so sure?” Janeway found herself asking again. 

“His eyes…you can see the fight is not over…Chakotay’s soul is still in there and as long as it is, we have to fight, he’ll fight, and I have to find away to help him…but I don’t know how?” 

“Can’t you do what you did last time?” 

Tom looked up at Janeway, half in amazement that she had made the suggestion and half at not thinking of it himself. “I don’t know if it’ll work, but I’m sure going to try,” Tom smiled; hope shining where it was almost lost before. 

“If there is anything I can do…”

“There is, Captain…” Tom said, his eyes serious, his mind latching onto what he needed to do. 

“Tell me?” 

“You can take a phaser and shoot him,” Tom said deadly serious. “It’s the only thing that’ll knock him out, and Tay will be able to fight it easier if it’s back on his level,” Tom said, shifting down the biobed. “I’ll get the stuff and make ready…”

“For what?” 

Tom looked at her, his eyes determined, “Why to go get him, of course. I was there once before, I can get there again. This time however, I’m bringing the Calvary.” 

*******End of Part Seven*******

Janeway walked in sickbay again after making sure all was well on the bridge with out any senior officers to over see things and make a few other arrangements, in time to see B’Elanna being held back by Alaya, cursing in Klingon at Chakotay, who was rolling on his back on the biobed like a puppy, laughing, his shirt open wide and scratches down his chest. 

She was barely ten feet into the room when B’Elanna broke free of Alaya’s grip and charged the force field, but did not hit it, challenging the thing to a battle to the death as her Klingon temper flared. 

Chakotay quickly rolled, like lighting off the bed and presses his half naked form up against the field, a dark amusement in his eyes, “If it’s blood you want, I’ll be more than glad to give it to you,” he smirked and then proceeded to bit his lip hard, letting blood drip down his chin and onto his chest, never flinching. “Your going to come in here and lick it up?” he asked mockingly. “For you will you know…you will be licking up blood,” he said, his eyes meeting her gaze. “For I’m going to chain you up like the fucking little targe you are, and that’s all I’m going to feed you…blood, starting with the little bitch’s; I mean, it would be such a waste after I pound it out of her, isn’t that right, Kathy,” he asked, looking up with deep amused eyes, that showed no sign that he didn’t believe his words to be a true prediction of the future. 

“I’m not buying today,” Janeway growled, helping Greg move B’Elanna back, then letting the EMH take over her part in holding her back. “Your taunts and sick games won’t work on me,” she added firmly. 

“Gee, where did I here that before,” Chakotay asked, his expression faking his thinking process, “Oh yeah…” he turned grimly serious, “The other Voyager, exactly one day before I proved her wrong and consequently ripped her head off. But don’t worry, Kathy…” his eye narrow, “I won’t be so negligent as to not take my time…with you…this time,” he chuckles darkly. 

“You seem overly confident in your victory, that you keep forgetting a few things,” she hissed back. 

“Like what?” he asked, a tad curious. 

“Like this is ‘not’ the other Voyager, and this time we know of you and…Chakotay isn’t alone in his fight against you,” she replied firmly. “Now, if you excuse me,” she said stiffly, me and my crew are no longer interested in anything ‘you’ have to say,” she added, then turned swiftly on her feet to exit out. 

“Oh, but Kathy…it’s time to play,” Chakotay grinned wickedly. 

“CAPTAIN!” B’Elanna shouted in warning as she saw Chakotay leap pass the force field toward Janeway. 

In a surprise move, Janeway whirled around, a phaser all ready in her hand and fired. The first one stalled Chakotay’s approach, the second one dropped him to his knees, the third one knocked him out for the count. 

The room was deathly silent, then the EMH moved from B’Elanna’s side and scanned Chakotay, and sighed, “He’s unconscious, but unharmed,” he said, then looked up to see Janeway pale at his words. “What?”

She looked at the phaser, then Chakotay, then back at the phaser again, before handing it over to B’Elanna. “Tom will be here any second, put him on the bio-bed,” she ordered. 

“Captain, this phaser…” B’Elanna said.

“I know,” she replied half-heartedly, still in shock herself. 

“What about the phaser?” the Doc inquired. 

“Its…its set to kill.” B’Elanna told the Doctor.

Again the silence was deafening as realization of what just occurred; that Janeway could have killed Chakotay and the fact that he now was simply knocked out after three blasts of a phaser set to kill, lingered in the air. 

The silence was broken by the sound of the sickbay doors as Tom entered the room and saw Chakotay on the floor. He shifted the new and larger bag on his shoulders and met Janeway’s eyes, “How many?” he asked in a soft knowing tone. 

“Three.” 

“He’s stronger than I thought, I’ll have to move faster,” Tom replied as he moved to the biobed, after calling for the force field to be lowered. “Get him on the bed,” he ordered, his eyes fixed not so much on the man that was now being lifted from the floor, but the task at hand…saving his husband’s soul. 

************

Tom now sat on the floor in the babies’ room, half naked, for he was stripped down to a pair of shorts, wearing his husband’s medicine bag around his neck, as he followed to the letter what little his love had taught him about traveling to the spirit realm. 

The room had a light fog to it, as sage and other purifying herbs were burned, and Tom made his final preparations. He then looked up to the biobed not far from him in this room to the still form that was bound; not so much by cuffs, though they were used as were other restraints, but more so by the markings Chakotay had used to protect the children’s birthing tanks…Tom having copied them all over the man’s body. “It’s time,” he whispered to himself, steeling himself for the unknown, he closed his eyes and chanted the ancient words that Chakotay had taught him… 

************

The cold chaotic wind that surrounded him was not unexpected, for he recalled what he saw before and found it much the same; a dark storm encompassing the sky, its shadows trying to engulf the land, but Tom saw a large area where the shadows didn’t touch and headed there. 

Sitting in the middle of that large patch of meadow was his love, his body wrapped tight on itself, sweating…he was also hurt. His back was drenched in blood from the same spot that his real body was hit by the shard. “Love?” he called out softly as he kneeled before Chakotay, knowing it would not be wise to touch him, for he would startle Chakotay’s concentration, but he had to let him know he was here. “I’m here, Chakotay, your not alone in this,” he said, gently shifting his knees so he could see Chakotay’s wound. 

Slowly, painfully dark eyes looked at him, a tiny smile twinkled in them, “I knew you would be here,” he said in a weak voice. “But I…”

Tom placed a finger on his lips to stop the possible confession of failure; it would only hinder things. “I’m here and together we’ll beat this thing. It ‘can’ be destroyed, Tay, and it knows you hold the key to doing so, that’s why he’s been after you and your alternates…he wants your power, thus feeling free of any defeat. But we’re not going to let it win, are we,” Tom said confidently, and was rewarded by a nod and a tiny smile from his love. “Now, let me look at your back,” he said, knowing that even if spiritual, physical actions still held meaning. 

“Tom…it’s…it’s draining me,” he panted, his breath more and more difficult to catch. “I…don’t…don’t know what…to do?” he said, his eyes, though warm were tired and lost. 

“Fight, but remember, you don’t have to fight alone, I’m here. You have everything to live for, Tay, me, the children…”

Chakotay shifted up a bit at the mention of the children, “Are they all right?” 

Tom nodded, “yes, they’re fine, but if this thing wins...”

“It can’t win,” Chakotay said, showing more confidence in his face, as Tom slowly worked on removing his shirt, revealing the wound. 

“Okay, Tay. This is your area of expertise, how do I fix this?” he asked, gently wiping away some of the blood. 

“From what I recall, spiritual healing on this plain is like in the real world, only that you must believe that you have and can use the materials needed, as I must believe that you have the ability to do so.”

“So, everything comes down to faith,” Tom replies in understanding.

Chakotay nods, taking a shuttered breath, “Yes, faith. As I believe that you are my one and only, I believe that you have to power to heal me.”

“As I believe that you have the power to defeat that thing,” Tom said with conviction. 

The wind began to pick up and lighting struck the ground in the distance, trees bending, but not breaking, as leaves and grass blew around without mercy. 

“I want to believe you, Tom, but I’m not sure how to do it?”

Tom looked to the makeshift bag that he conjured up and pulled out a regenerator and started using it on Chakotay’s back, while caressing his shoulder. “How did you do it before? I mean, all I saw was you reaching upward, to the sky, then…you glowed like…an angle,” Tom said, his voice in awe as he recalled the vision. 

“Did I?” Chakotay asked, his own voice sounding his disbelief. He looked back over his shoulder, “I don’t recall that, but I do recall you being there, your love washing over me…giving me strength…then I don’t recall much more,” he said turning back, his eyes scouting the horizon that was continuing to grow dark. 

Tom leaned in close to Chakotay’s ear, “You have my love now, Tay, forever,” Tom whispered and placed a soft kiss on Chakotay’s temple, “forever.” 

It was painful, but Chakotay lifted an arm and wrapped it around Tom’s waist and hugged him tightly, then placed a deep loving kiss upon his soft lips. “Forever,” he vowed from his heart. 

“Papa!”

“Daddy!” 

The cries of frighten children startled the couple and looked to see six young children jump on them, hugging them for dear life. It took them both a moment to realize who it was that was clinging to them, and when their eyes met, both Tom’s and Chakotay’s determination and love multiplied. 

Slowly Chakotay lifted one of the small children up and gazed into a strong beautiful face and immediately knew who it was and smiled, “Tommy,” he said warmly and received a slight nod from the child. 

Tom lifted a young girl and saw that she too boar her father’s beautiful eyes and knew her as well, “Chakotah,” he called out, and he too was rewarded with a smile and a nod. 

Chakotay then called to Thomasina, and Kolopack, and they acknowledged their presence with a smile and a nod, as Tom called out to Chakotay jr. and Kathy, who also smiled and nodded. 

“I…I can’t believe their here,” Chakotay said in amazement as he held tightly to as many of them as his strong arms could allow. 

Tom laughed, he too was amazed, but he was not as surprised as his love, “I don’t know why,” he laughed, “they are ‘your’ children,” he glowed with pride and love at his mate. 

“He’s right,” came a strong and familiar voice. 

Everyone looked to see Kolopack senior, emerging from the dense forest, his eyes full of love and pride for the family before him. “They are ‘your’ children, Chakotay, and as such, possess your strength, the very source of power the evil has been seeking. I know you, son, you will, like the other ones before you, find away to deny this thing his final goal, but the young ones are too vulnerable to fight it…alone.”

“What do you mean, deny it, they…they were taken…”

“Do you think such blessed spirits as these could come from…that?” he asked pointing to the darkness that was growing by leaps and bounds. Seeing both men shake their heads no, he smiled, “in a last desperate act, you used the same darkness that was using you to disperse you power. You may never have had a chance to understand you potential, son, but I know you recall how the tribal shaman was always after you to heed their ways…and I am most grateful that you listened, but perhaps now you can see why. You came into this world with a life-force that could not be denied, son. Your spirit has always been a source of your victories and your failures…it is…your gift, your curse, and your responsibility, and now yours to fight for,” Kolopack said firmly as he knelt down on one knee meeting his son’s questioning eyes. “When in the other realm and in the other fight, when you felt Tom’s love wash over you, you stopped fearing the unknown and accepted what was…that is how you tapped into what lies within, son. It is the only way to find it.” With that he stood up and looked around. “My time is up, your time to fight is now…Good luck,” he said and vanished. 

“We’re frightened, Papa,” little Tommy said, his bright eyes shining up at Chakotay. 

“Please, Daddy, don’t let that thing get us,” little Chakotah, pleaded, her father’s eyes sparkling up at Tom. Tom’s determination took a severe boost and locked gazes with Chakotay, “Okay, Papa Bear, ready to kick some a.. butt?” 

Chakotay nodded yes and moved to stand, but pain shot all throughout his body, the wound was not fully closed. He closed his eyes, concentrating, controlling his breath from the pain. 

Tom placed his hand on Chakotay’s back, willing his essence to help heal Chakotay, and was touched to see six pairs of tiny hands, that appearing to be five year olds, doing the same. //If their spirits look like this and their babies, imagine what they will be like grown,// he mused with pride and joy. Then his own breath caught, as he saw what looked like energy flicker from their tiny hands, like a soft white spreading along Chakotay’s back, and saw his own hand lending a good amount to this energy that was healing his lover. “That’s it, guys,” he encouraged. 

When the energy slowed down and melted back to where it started the wound was gone and Chakotay looked…refreshed. “Thank you…all of you,” he said in a tight loving voice. Then he once more locked gazes with Tom, “I believe you mentioned some butt kicking we had to do?” 

Tom’s grin matched his husbands, “I sure did.” 

Together they stood, seeing the lighting was now closer, and wind was wrecking havoc everywhere but their small corner of this plane. “Children,” Chakotay said, bending over too meet their eyes, I would like you to form a circle around your Daddy and me, facing outward…okay?” he asked gently, his tone warm, his eyes sure. 

“Okay, papa,” they replied and shifted until they were in the same pairs as the were named, as if they were twins…it was then that Tom noticed that to a degree, they did look like three sets of twins, even if they did all have different mothers, and though Tom wanted to ponder this some more, things were beginning to happen and his thoughts were once more brought back to the matter at hand. 

Tom felt Chakotay’s strong fingers caress his neck, then touch the necklace that seemed to only exist on this plane, his dark eyes shining so much love, Tom wanted to melt into him right there and then. “This is my soul, which belongs only to you. As long as you hold it, I now know I can not lose it,” he smiled, and then gently pressed on Tom’s shoulder to have him sit. “We have our purpose in all things, Tom…this fight is mine…and the children’s,” he said and turned away, his focus upward. 

//Children’s?// Tom’s mind asked, his face stunned at being told in other words to stay out of it. But before he could do anything, the battle began.

The wind now struck at them with a fierceness that any normal person would have been carried off to their death, but Tom saw the children hold hands as Chakotay simply braced himself in the center. The lightening struck all about the circle, but never penetrated it, nor touched the children as it continued to rain its power downward. The shrieks of hate filled the air and the temperature dropped to below zero, freezing the grass, turning the land to ice, but the circle, and all within remained untouched and unmoved. 

“Are you done wailing like an abandoned babe?” Chakotay called out, his tone calm, and determined. “You have no power over me or my children as you have seen, so quite wasting our time. You want to fight me…then fight me,” he growled. 

Tom saw emerging from out of the shadows a disfigured version of Chakotay, the hate altering the normal beauty of his love to that of a disgusting leper, and Tom had difficulty keeping his eyes gazed in its direction. 

“You think your little bastards will help you?” it grated in a sickening voice that sent a shiver down Tom’s spine at the sound of it. 

Chakotay scoffed, “They already have,” he smiled with pride. “But as they know their purpose for being here now, so do I,” he said, and closed his eyes, like he had done before, reaching skyward, again like a small child asking to be held, his face relaxed and calm. 

Since Tom was now closer, he could see the relaxed face of his husband shift to that of a wondrous smile just before he once again began to alter. Tom had to cover his eye from the brightness, but it didn’t hurt. Then when he was able to see again, he saw that his love, now all aglow ascending skyward, like the angel he believe him to be and enter the eye of the storm, that closed around him. “No!” he called out, suddenly fearing for his husband. 

“Its okay, Daddy,” his daughter’s name sake spoke to him. “He’s gone to fight the source, this thing here is but a fragment, as will there be many, but that’s our job,” she smiled sweetly, her eyes shining with a confidence that was just like her father that Tom could do nothing but believe her. 

Then Tom watched as his love’s children followed suite as to their father, lifting their hands as one, their eyes closed, and in moments, they too smiled in wondrous joy. But unlike Chakotay, they did not glow…but grow…into what history would describe as tribal warriors…all of them. Similar but different, they still looked like three sets of twins, the girls dressed similar to their brother next to them. Each pair armed in one of many ancient weapons, Chakotay and Chakotah had a battle axe, Tommy and Thomasina had a large knife, and Kolopack and Kathy had a bolo. 

Tom looked on in amazement at the strong formidable adults facing the dark figure that had broken into six copies of itself, and was touched by the wonder and the streanght they possessed. //These are Chakotay’s children,// Tom’s mind wondered in awe. Though all had their own look as most children do when they grow, there was no mistaking their parentage, for they all bared Chakotay’s strong presence inward as well as outward, and Tom smiled, almost feeling sorry for the thing…almost. 

A war cry that could shake anyone’s soul, filled the air…it was time to rumble! 

Tom remained where he was, watching as the children joined the war cry, and charged their enemy, showing no fear, only determination. Tom watched in awe amazement at the skill each one showed, as they used their weapons, and dodged their opponents’ blows. They were far from untouched, a scratch here and there, but it didn’t faze them and they continued to engage their target with a deadly precision that Tom knew would guarantee their victory. 

He looked skyward, and saw the heavens themselves appear to shake, and smiled, //if his children are only fragments of him, that thing doesn’t stand a chance,// he chuckled, sensing no fear in his heart, only victory. 

One by one, the children tossed their defeated enemy into a pile, one on top of the other, panting hard from their fight, their wounds many but minor, and step back as the last one was tossed on by Kathy. “Their ready for you, Father,” she called out, her voice strong like her appearance, though still held a strong beauty that was all woman. 

Suddenly the heavens burst open, an object moving fast came sailing down and exploded right onto the pile, the mass of energy it caused was enough for everyone to hunch down and hold on to each other, the Children held Tom securely, as the energy wave hit fast and hard…then settled. 

When Tom looked up, he saw Chakotay, dressed in what he knew to be his tribe’s ancient dress, his hair long and blowing in the wind, his face strong and determined. There were markings of a battle on his body, like the children, but he too was not fazed by them as he stood over what was now a pile of glowing green crystal. He held up his hands and started chanting in his people’s tongue, as the children, took Tom’s hand and formed a circle around Chakotay and the thing. 

Tom watched as the green mass shifted, tiny sparks of green energy shifting throughout it, as it formed into a semi-humanoid being, staring at Chakotay. 

“I…will…have…you!” it growled, and in one final assault, it lunged at Chakotay, not only grabbing him, but melting all over him, covering him from head to toe. 

“NO!” Tom shouted, but was held tight, by Chakotay Jr.’s hand on one side, and Chakotah’s on the other; they would not let him go, nor did they make any move to stop what was happening. All the children stood in the circle, holding hands, with Tom, and watched as the green vanished and Chakotay opened his now black eyes and laughed with a dark menacing voice. 

“I…I have won,” he chuckled. 

“You have won nothing,” Little Kolopack, not so little anymore said in a calm voice. 

“I have…” It began only to be cut off by Thomasina. 

“What? What do you have?” she asked, her smirk clear for all to see. 

Then with a shared glance by all, they all started chanting in the same manner as Chakotay had done, only Tom remaining silent. It took him a moment to think, but the warmth he suddenly felt around his neck clued him in, he had Chakotay’s soul…this thing only had an empty shell and nothing to hold it here…it had lost, using the last of it’s energy in futile attempt to claim Chakotay’s soul once and for all. Tom smiled with knowing, and closed his eyes and let the words wash over him as the love of his family…’his’ family sooth him and guide him. He too joined the chant, focusing only on his husband and didn’t open them, even when the air filled with hideous screams that eventually vanished. 

Tom did not open his eyes until he felt the strong and gently touch of his love upon his face, and then he opened them to see the loving smile of his husband before him…they were alone. “We won,” he said knowingly.

“Yes, love, ‘we’ won,” Chakotay grinned, and hugged his love tightly. “Though I don’t think I could have done it without you,” he said, his lips buried in his love’s soft neck, his fingers caressing soft curls. 

Tom leaned back, “How can you say that, you…you were amazing. The children…were…amazing, how can you say that?” 

“Simple,” Chakotay smiled warmly, “I had never achieved such levels on my own, not until my other half of my soul arrive…you. Plus, had you not kept my half safe…” he let his words linger, knowing Tom understood. “We are one. It is not ‘I’ that holds this power, but ‘us’. 

Tom gave a gentle loving sigh, and looked around and saw a beautiful meadow surrounded by a rich lustrous forest, “Where are the children?”

“Back where they belong…it’s their time,” Chakotay replied, caressing Tom’s face. 

“Oh,” he said, and then looked at his love, once more in amazement. “Can I ask you something?”

“Anything,” Chakotay replied honestly. 

“I watched you. I saw you reach up to the sky and I saw your face suddenly beam with such…joy. What…what was it?” 

Chakotay gave a deep laugh, “That my dear, was you…accepting your love for me and all its wonder. As for another…that I can not answer, for it would be different for each individual, but for me…it was you,” he said, his eyes shining the truth of his words. 

“It’s time”

“Let’s go home.”

“Home.” 

*************

 

“No.” 

Tom bolted up in bed, hearing his husband’s voice. “What is it?” he asked, a touch of panic in his voice. He turned to see Chakotay was looking at him and his chest clenched, “It’s not…back is it?” 

Chakotay looked at Tom, leaned forward, caressing his face, and deadpanned, “No, its 2am feeding,” he said, then chuckled at Tom’s reaction, then dodged the pillow now coming in his direction. 

It was only a moment later that the sound of babies crying filled the air. “See what you did?” Chakotay accused teasingly as he tossed the pillow back and moved to put on his robe. 

Tom’s chest stopped heaving so hard from the slight fright he had had, for it was only a week since the thing was defeated, and it was exactly the same about of time before that thing raised its ugly head again. He scooted back to rest against the head board. “It’s late, Tay, the nannies can get it, that’s why they’re there.”

Chakotay smiled at his love as the doors opened to their bed room, “True, but the children can tell when they are being held by a real person or not, and they sleep better after wards; I don’t mind,” he replied and exited. 

Tom’s smile grew, “Ah, Papa Bear, you continue to amaze me,” he sighed, knowing full well that Chakotay didn’t mind finding time to hold and rock all six of his children. “Six…” Tom shook his head, and once again was glad they were on Voyager, a ship full of people wanting to help, and Tom was sure they’d get their chance. Before he knew it, he was up out of bed, placing his own robe on, and entered the nursery, seeing Chakotay had his arms full with Kolopack and Thomasina. Tom moved and picked up Tommy and Kathy, taking seat in one of the four chairs this room had, and began to rock them as best he could, seeing Nanny Mary was rocking Chakotay jr. while Nanny Popins was changing Chakotah. 

It was two hours later before all the children had been successfully fed, changed and rocked back to sleep and Tom move to place a blanket over his sleeping husband, that was too big to move from the rocking chair. “Sleep tight my mighty warrior, and my little warriors,” Tom whispered, and switched off the night light, letting the only glow showing was that from his eyes, as he looked with love upon his future…it was a good one.


End file.
